


Good Luck Sammy

by spymaster



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Romantic Comedy, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Gay, Good Luck Sammy, Lena is a dog-sitter, ReignCorp, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Sam is a doctor, Sam is also cursed, Samantha is a sexy doctor, Unresolved Sexual Tension, really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-02-28 03:00:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13262226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spymaster/pseuds/spymaster
Summary: Sam is a sexy dentist who is cursed that if she sleeps with someone, they would find their soulmate in the next day. That's why no matter how much she's into Lena, her dog-sitter, she isn't allowed to sleep with her.Or Good Luck Chuck AU





	1. The Ring Charmer

**Author's Note:**

> I love the movie Good Luck Chuck and figure that ReignCorp would fit into this.
> 
> I don't own any character, only the mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy!

Samantha sat nervously between her two friends, waiting for the bottle to stop. It did. The head pointed at the boy sitting right next to her. Repressing a sigh, Sam watched as the boy and the girl who spun the bottle got to their feet and disappeared behind the closet doors.

“Seven minutes with Jack Byron, damn…” Alex Danvers, Sam’s best friend whispered into her ear, “He’s the cutest of the 7th grade. Lucky Mandy.”

Sam rolled her eyes. She couldn’t see what people find in Jack. He was a thin and tall boy with the crazy hair that had too much hairspray always. She thought between Jack and Mandy, Jack was the lucky one. Mandy’s eyes were quite beautiful and Sam especially loved her voice.

“Shut up, I’m going to be next,” Sam took the bottle as someone filled in Jack’s previous spot. She glanced around to find her target. The head of the bottle strategically pointed toward the prettiest person in the room: Jane Byron.

While every girl was gushing about Jack, Sam only noticed his twin sister. She had this curly golden hair and a bright smile and she smelled really nice too. If Sam had to spend seven minutes in a stinky closet with anyone in seventh grade, Jane would be her choice.

When her eyes met something behind Jane’s left shoulder, Sam immediately looked down on the bottle to avoid it.

Or rather _them_.

Paige Miller, the girl who always stayed quiet and never really hung out with anyone. She came to this party quite early and only sat in the corner while everybody else was dancing, eating and having fun. Sam only talked to her once, when a few boys were being mean to her in the hall.

Paige gave off a creepy and solemn vibe that everyone felt like they should leave her alone.

Sam did exactly that.

And now the bottle was spinning. Then it slowed down.

_Jane. Jane. Jane. Please…_

Finally, the bottle halted to a stop.

Sam’s mouth dropped because it was Jane’s direction it was pointing at.

But then…the bottle moved slightly to the right.

“Holy crap, it’s Paige.” Alex’s murmur sent cold sweats onto Sam’s back. What?

Next, she found herself standing in the stinky closet with Paige Miller, who was taller and indeed intimidating. She swore a cry of help was ready at the bridge of her lips.

“Did you expect to be in the closet with me, Sam Arias?” Paige asked, her black-lipstick-painted lips curved up into a smirk.

“Um…” she gulped, trying to avoid the stare the taller girl was giving her, “It’s a random choice so I’m surprised.”

“I’m not,” Paige grinned, “I’ve been waiting to do this with you.” She licked her lips, knowingly added, “I’m all yours.”

Sam looked away, scared of the straightforward implication. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Suddenly, Paige took off her jacket, revealing her upper self only wearing black leather bras. Sam was startled when she grunted, “Don’t you want me?”

Before she had the chance to reply or escape, Paige lunged at her, pressing her down on the pile of old clothes in the closet of Vicky Donahue's house, pouring aggressive kisses all over her face.

“Oh my God!” Sam cried out for help but she was overpowered by Paige’s strong arms.

The taller girl pulled back, still gripping Sam tightly. “I've been in love with you since third grade, Sammy!” Sam struggled to get out of the forceful girl, only to receive tighter grips when Paige bowed down, trying to kiss her again. “You want to go rough? I can go rough.” In the next moment, Sam’s shirt was mercilessly ripped apart, revealing her own bras.

“Hey!” she shouted, “What are you doing?”

“Making love. My mom’s Cosmo said this would really bring out pleasure,” Paige said, at the same time dug her nails into Sam’s ribs and pulled down. Sam squirmed in pain as the scratches burned into her skin and tears were already flowing out. “Don’t worry, it’s my first time too.”

“At what? Killing?” Sam wept out a furious reply. She finally used all of her might to roll over and crawl for the doors. Paige couldn’t hold on her but she grabbed Sam’s ankle and she slid from the closet out to the bedroom where everyone was gathering around and staring at them.

Sam rolled over, trying to keep a distance from Paige, who was walking out of the closet with a frown on her face.

“Samantha Arias, you are not my girlfriend anymore!” Paige pointed at her face, “I hex you!”

“W-what?” she gave the girl a terrified response.

“I hex you. Surrounding you are thousands of lovers, but after you, they will always find another!” Paige’s hands drew something suspiciously evil and then she gestured like her heart was being stabbed by an invisible dagger, “You would have to chase after romance to only get heartbreaks and pain. Samantha Arias, you are hexed!”

Sam stood up, puzzled by what was happening and when Paige lunged at her again, she didn’t think the taller girl would go for her hair. “Owwww!” she yelled when Paige yanked a large amount out of her scalp.

Tears began to flow again as she took a good T-shirt from Vicky, who was giving her a pitiful look. Alex worriedly asked when Sam put on the shirt, “What happened?”

Sam rubbed her almost blad spot, wincing. “I don’t know. She’s crazy.”

She didn’t realize it was the moment her life changed forever.

 

___________________

 

 

“Good morning, Doctor.”

Sam smiled and nodded at the assistant. “Good morning, Gina. How are the appointments today?”

“There are five new patients and two regulars, Mr. House and Mrs. Debbs.”

“Thank you.” She paused at the door and turned around, “Gina, is today the 9th of June?”

Her assistant glanced at the screen and then looked up again, “Yes, Doctor. Do you have plans?”

Sam shrugged as she twisted the handle to open the office. “A wedding tomorrow.”

“Oh, have fun!”

She only smiled and waved at the assistant before disappearing behind the door. She took off her jacket and put on the white blouse to get ready for the first patient.

After three people, Sam had a break so she stepped outside. Right on time, Alex Danvers was already in the waiting room, chatting happily with one of Sam’s new patients.

Alex was clearly trying to score this woman. Sam had seen this coming every time a good-looking patient exited her office. Alex worked on the same floor, as a plastic surgeon while Sam was a dentist. They had been friends since first grade and understood each other very well. Almost too well.

“...so there’s a restaurant nearby, maybe we could-” Alex was flashing the woman her flirty smile when Sam had no other option but to cut through.

“Miss Thompson, I’m really sorry about my friend here. I’ll hold her back while you run, okay?” she smiled down at the young woman.

“Oh, it’s okay. But I really have to go now. Thank you and goodbye, Dr. Arias.” The woman left the floor, heading for the elevator.

Sam turned to her friend, who was glaring at her. “What?”

“Why do you always have pretty patients? Not just normal pretty but really pretty, like models and stuff. And you pay no attention to them.” Alex complained when they both took the next ride of the elevator. “Are you for real?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to find the one, Al.”

The elevator dinged, they both left the building, heading to their regular lunch spot.

“The one? You’re still holding onto that idealistic shit?” Alex chuckled, adjusting the strap of her bag on the shoulder, “Every time you started dating, you always claimed her to be ‘the one’ but how many _‘the one’_ s do you have so far?”

Sam knew it was weird for her to still believe in soulmates, especially with her long list of ex-girfriends, nobody would think she was being serious. “Do not start with the exes…”

“I have to, Sammy. You can’t date a girl for longer than a month.” Alex said as she sat down in the chair. Sam settled in the chair on the opposite, waiting for her friend to bring up the upcoming event of the next day. “And tomorrow is your latest ex’s wedding day, Sarah. She invited you, for God’s sake! And you still agreed to go. I just don’t get you.”

The waitress came and greeted them. She already knew what Sam always had for lunch: grilled chicken breast with garlic sauce. Alex, on the other hand, had a different meal every day. After deciding on Spaghetti, the waitress left and they continued their talk.

“It’s not like we ended on a bad note, Al. We’re still friendly.” Sam sipped the water, “I’m happy for her.”

“Sarah literally gets married three weeks after you guys splitting up.” Alex gave her a look, “Where did she dig up a wife in ready though? I believe she just wanted to bang a dentist for fun.”

Sam groaned, “Can you please stop with the sex?”

Alex gasped, her face formed a serious warning look. “If it was more than sex, then how come she dumped you right after you two banged? Hmm?”

Sam crossed her arms and leaned back. “How do I know?”

“Exactly. And if it’s just Sarah, I wouldn’t talk about it. But every single girl you’ve been with always fled after sleeping with you,” Alex lifted an eyebrow, “Do you know how to do it?”

Sam gritted her teeth, “Of course I do, fuck. I've been into women before you realized you were gay. So shut up, Al.”

Alex grinned apologetically. “I’m just saying maybe there is a reason…”

Sam left the conversation behind when she came to the wedding of her ex. It was weird, of course, to go to your ex’s wedding but Sarah insisted that Sam really needed to go.

So she followed the instruction and found her seat at a table full of elders.

_Great. Sarah is playing me._

She smiled at them and kept quiet because she knew nobody in this wedding. When she was given a glass of wine, Sam sat still and fiddled the glass, not wanting to drink alone.

“Sorry! Excuse me!” a voice stirred up the already loud space. Sam’s eyes followed the source and her heart stopped.

A girl with jet black hair and bright red lips, struggling to get past the crowd in her sleeveless long black dress with simple white lace running around the top curve of the dress hugging her chest. She smiled apologetically when her elbow almost knocked down a tray on the waiter’s hand.

Sam found herself standing up and placed a hand between the woman's shoulder and the pole she was running into and neatly caught her in arms. The woman was wearing heels but she was still shorter than Sam. She looked up, blushed and took a step back from Sam, to which she gladly let go of the beautiful stranger.

“I know weddings are boring but please don't smash your head just because the song is so bad,” Sam joked, then stepped aside to leave the woman some space, “You’re good now?”

The woman shyly wiped her hair all to her left shoulder and answered, “Yes, thank you. I was a bit disoriented there.”

Sam tried to not stare at the bare shoulder exposed right in front of her and offered a polite smile. “It’s okay. I tend to get lost in the crowd, too. Let’s just sit down, shall we?” She gestured the table she was sitting in.

“Sure! I hope I’m not taking anyone’s seat,” the woman giggled and sat down on the chair next to Sam.

“Whoever that is might just not come. I’ve been sitting here since the start,” Sam said with a shrug.

The woman glanced around and then turned back at Sam, asking with her eyes wide open. _Gosh, those are so green._ “Do you know anyone around here?”

Sam leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper, “To be honest, I crashed this wedding for the drinks only. I don’t even know the brides.”

The woman chuckled, her eyes shaped into brilliant half-moons that made Sam flutter.

_Her smile is even more pretty. What? This is surreal. Who is this?_

“Then we’re on the same boat,” Pretty Woman whispered, lifting one eyebrow. That’s sexy. “Since we’re partner-in-crime now, I should know your name.”

“Samantha Arias. Call me Sam.” She offered a hand.

“Lena.” The green-eyed beauty replied and shook hand with her. Sam noticed that Lena’s hand was really gentle and soft. Her first guess on the woman’s profession was secretary.

“Just _‘Lena’_?” Sam asked, feeling a bit taken aback that the other woman didn’t give away her last name.

“I can’t have you rat me out when you’re arrested, partner.” Lena smirked devilishly and Sam wondered how it would feel like to kiss such full and sexy lips.

“Ouch,” she faked a wince, “you’re ready to sell me out. I’m hurt.”

“We’ve just met, partner,” Lena brought the wine glass to her mouth, drawing Sam’s attention again to her lips.

“Then we should hang out after this wedding to get to know each other a little better, shouldn’t we?” Sam genuinely asked with a little flirt, hoping to see Lena again.

“Smooth,” Lena complimented, “Does that always work on the ladies?”

“I don’t know. Does it work on you?” she smirked confidently. It was such a blessing to find a beautiful, witty and charming woman in the middle of her ex’s wedding. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea coming here after all.

“Almost,” Lena said meaningfully.

The clinking sound coming from the brides’ table caught everyone’s attention and Sam had to leave the conversation because Lena also turned to look at the women in white gowns. She caught the sight of a small tattoo on the nape of Lena’s neck and bit her lip to hide a smile. It was a simple tattoo of a star being hung by a string like it was dropped from her hairline.

It was super adorable.

“Hello everyone, thank you so much for coming to my happiest day of my life.” Sarah, in her wedding dress, held up a glass of wine and continued, “Here today I have a special guest, Sam.”

She was startled when she heard her name. At first, she had thought Sarah meant someone else but when she saw the bride gestured the glass in her direction, her eyes went wide.

Lena half-turned around and seemed surprised. Sam didn’t know what to do but raising her glass as well to be polite.

“Without her, this wedding wouldn’t happen,” Sarah meaningfully said, “to Sammy.”

Everyone around toasted the same at Sam even though Sam was sure they had no idea who she was. Lena did the same with a grin.

“You lied to me, partner,” she shook her head, “one of the brides knows you.”

“I never said she didn’t,” Sam replied, keeping the tease, “so I guess you won’t give me your number, partner.” Lena only smiled and looked down at the glass. Sam sensed something sad lurking in those gorgeous eyes and decided that if it was fate for her to only meet Lena once, so be it. “Then you gotta dance with me later.”

Lena lifted her head again, shyly answered, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I can’t dance.”

“Me neither. But I won’t let that stop me from having a good memory.” Sam honestly stated her intention and mentally crossed her fingers.

Lena took a deep breath and exhaled a smile. “Good point.”

 

_____________________

 

 

 _“Was she beautiful?”_ Alex’s voice echoed through the phone.

Sam grinned, rubbing her eyes with the free hand, “Really. Probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” It was Sunday morning and Sam was still lying lazily on the bed. Calling Alex was the first thing she did to tell her friend about the events of yesterday.

 _"That speaks volume because you’ve met like every pretty woman of this city already.”_ Her best friend laughed amusingly, _“And you didn’t even try to get her number?”_

“Nope.”

_“Wow.”_

“I know.”

“What if she is _‘the one’_?” Alex genuinely asked, her voice had no hint of tease or sarcasm.

Sam sighed and sitting up. “You know what? I've thought about what you said on Friday and realized that maybe it was me standing in my own way of finding _‘the one’_. I’m not going to pursue women whom I find interesting anymore.”

_“Wow. What happened?”_

“I didn’t pay attention to keeping in touch with Lena and now I have a wonderful memory of her. If it was before, I would regret not asking and all those clingy shit.” Sam headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. “I’ll just go out, have fun.”

_“And have meaningless sex.”_

“Hold on, probably not that. What’s sex without love?”

A deadly silence cut through the air that Sam’s hand froze because she thought Alex hung up.

 _“Sex! It’s still sex!”_ Alex screamed through the phone. Sam could imagine her friend was chopping air with her hands to make a statement. _“When was the last time you had sex?”_

“Three weeks ago.”

_“Sarah doesn’t count.”_

“I don’t know. Two months?”

_“Two months, holy shit! I need you to dress slutty and go out with me tonight. And then you’ll go home with a pretty girl and sex her!”_

“Ew, when you put it that way... “

_“Sex her! Multiple times! Got it?”_

“Okay, okay… geez.”

 

 

____________________

 

 

“How was the one-night-stand?” Alex nudged Sam when they were standing in line to wait for coffee before work. “I saw where your hand was on that girl last night.” Her cheeky friend winked knowingly.

Sam only shrugged, “It was alright.”

“Sure... Number?” Alex squinted her eyes.

“Nope. The only thing I knew about her was her name. Amy or Cady something,” Sam clicked her tongue, trying to remember exactly the name, “Oh, it was Mavy.”

“Who cares? You’re not going to see her again!” Alex laughed and then stepped up to order her coffee. Sam did the same right after her and they both went to the other end of the counter to get the portion. “You had fun, right?”

Sam wouldn’t call it fun. She wasn’t used to having one-night-stands but the Mavy girl seemed like she did it a lot. When Sam offered breakfast, Mavy laughed at her face and left the house. “Kinda.”

Alex rolled her eyes, “Come on, Sam. You're young, hot and rich. Just enjoy it.”

“I know I'm not looking for _‘the one'_ anymore but I just can’t find a reason for me to really get into this _‘meaningless sex’_ thing. What if the other person expects more from me?” Sam reasoned after they got the coffee and walked out of the shop. Alex stepped next to her, hiding her groan behind the cup as she sipped.

“You mean if you meet another you?” The short-haired brunette side-glanced Sam, “You don’t care. That’s the point.”

“Why do you always push me into this kind of thing?” Sam glared at Alex, who only let out a ‘pfffff’.

“Because I haven’t seen you have fun in relationships since forever! Maybe it’s a sign that you shouldn't worry about it yet. Like me,” Alex pointed at herself, “Have you seen me cry over a girl?”

Sam didn’t answer, only took a sip while raising an eyebrow.

“Vicky Donaheu doesn’t count,” Alex warned, “She’s straight.”

“I didn’t say anything,” she retorted with a smirk.

They kept on walking to the office, crossing a wedding dress shop. Suddenly someone called out her name and they stopped to look around. Alex tapped her shoulder and pointed at a woman running out from the wedding dress shop. She was coming towards them, in a gorgeous wedding gown.

When she was close enough, Sam realized it was Rachel, a fling she had had before Sarah.

“Sam! Hi! How are you?” Rachel grinned joyfully while grabbing the dress up so it wouldn’t touch the ground.

“Rachel. I’m good, thanks. It’s been a long time, right?” she greeted and gestured the dress, “You look nice. Who’s the lucky one?”

“Scott,” Rachel shrugged casually like she hadn’t used Sam as a rebound while she and Scott were having a major fight.

“Oh, congrats. When did he pop the question?”

“Two months ago. I know it’s been a long time and only now we finally booked a place for the wedding,” Rachel offered a handshake, “It wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for you, Sammy.”

She exchanged a look with Alex, who had been observing their conversation in silence. It was weird that Sarah, and now Rachel, thanked her for their wedding. She still accepted the polite gesture nevertheless. “Sure, whatever that means.”

“Come on, Dr. Arias, don’t you know you are The Ring Charmer?” Rachel lowered her voice scandalously.

“ _‘The Ring Charmer’_?” her eyes grew wider, “What?”

“At first, I didn’t believe it but when a friend of mine told me about you, I had to try.” Rachel winked at her.

Right at this moment, Alex joined in, “Hello, my name is Alex, Sam’s friend. Can you explain what are you talking about?”

“There’s a rumor about your friend, Dr. Arias, that she has a charm that could help a woman find her soulmate immediately.”

“And how does that work?” Alex asked again while Sam crossed her arms, not believing in such thing called ‘charm’.

Rachel didn’t answer with words but only glanced down at Sam’s lower body with a smirk. Sam felt heat ran to her face.

“It can’t be,” she muttered.

“It worked for me,” Rachel replied and showed her hand with a giant rock on her ring finger. Then she returned to the shop with a farewell, “Thanks, Sammy.”

Sam kept on walking, a bit faster than Alex. Her mind was trying to push the stupid concept of being a charm to help women get married. It was absurd and odd. It was the 21st century, who believed this shit?

“That makes sense.”

Alex's statement made Sam stop short on her feet. Slowly turning around and nearly smashing the hot cup of coffee onto the ground, Sam spat out a, “What?”

“Think about it, Sam,” Alex rushed to her and had the detective face on, “All of your ex-girlfriends dumped you right after you slept with them.”

“That doesn’t prove it,” she frowned and proceeded to walk but Alex held her back and snatched the cup of coffee out of Sam’s hand. “Hey!”

“Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but what if it’s true?”

“That I’m a charm? That women have sex with me to get married to the next person she goes out it? Alex, that’s not crazy, it’s stupid!” Sam rubbed her face.

“It’s not stupid, it’s a gift!” Alex grinned joyfully, “You just said you were worried that if the person you sleep with wants more. They don’t. They just want sex. Imagine a beautiful chick jumping your bones and leaving the next day so another beautiful chick can come to jump your bones again! It’s the dream!”

“I still don’t believe it.” She tilted her head, thinking about how Alex easily had faith in superstitious stuff like this.

“No? Then we should test it tonight.”

“Again?” Sam groaned, “No.”

“Come on, Sam, prove me wrong.” It was very tempting to do that but Sam wouldn’t take the bait.

“I said no.”

 

___________________

 

 

It was a long day and Sam left the office rather late. When she stepped into the elevator, there was another person there. It was a woman in mid-thirties, whose face was familiar.

“Good evening, Miss,” Sam politely greeted when the elevator went down, “Have I seen you somewhere?”

“Good evening, Dr. Arias. I parked my car in this building’s basement,” the woman offered a handshake, “I’m Maddie. I know you.”

“Oh? Really? How come?”

“We share the same neighborhood, Doctor.” Maddie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing more of the delicate neck. “But you won’t remember me because you always come home later than me.”

It was a bit odd that this woman sounded like she paid attention to Sam but she ignored that because Maddie was a pretty woman, and pretty women were distracting.

When they both reached the basement, there were only two cars, one was Sam’s and the other one must be Maddie’s. They said a short farewell and Sam climbed on her convertible car.

“Shit!” she heard the shout and took a look in Maddie’s direction. She was slamming the car door shut with force.

Sam climbed out of the car and walked to the woman. “Is everything okay?”

“No,” Maddie answered, “I forgot to fax some paperwork at home for the bank and if I don't send it tonight, my account would be frozen. And my fucking car has a flat tire.”

Sam crouched down to check and one of Maddie’s tires was flattened. She stood up again and gestured her car. “I can take you home to get the paperwork, to the bank and then we can call a team to fix this. Okay? Don't cry, it's no big deal.”

And Sam drove Maddie back to her home. Her house was actually not in the neighborhood, just barely but Sam didn't really care. Maddie was nice enough to invite Sam in for tea.

But Sam didn't expect Maddie to push her down on the sofa and climb onto her while unbuttoning her blouse. She wiggled to escape her lips and gave her a surprised look. “Wow, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to have sex with you, Doctor,” Maddie answered in heavy breathing and continued to kiss Sam’s jaw.

She shut her eyes to stop herself from being aroused. “But why? We don't even know each other!”

Maddie pulled back again, “Aren't you Dr. Arias, aka The Ring Charmer?”

“What?” Sam had flashbacks of the conversation with Rachel the other day.

“The Ring Charmer. If I have sex with you, I’d find my soulmate in the next day.” Maddie ripped Sam’s shirt open.

“Where did you hear that?” Sam didn't struggle anymore because she was so intrigued by what the woman just said.

“From many people. I thought it was dumb but I wasn't desperate then.” Maddie’s hand slid around Sam’s waist then to her ass, “Come on, just one time, Doctor. It's not like we have to go out and date each other.”

“Are you sure?” Sam still felt weird about this. But on the other hand, if she wanted to check Alex’s theory and the rumor, this was the chance. “What if the rumor is false? What if I'm not the charm?”

Maddie sighed, running her fingers on Sam’s shirt. “Listen, I don't want to force you, but if you can help someone find their happiness, would you do that? I'm not someone who does casual sex and here I am on your lap, hoping you'd sleep with me.”

Sam slightly shook her head. “Okay, I heard about it too and wanted to see if it was true.” She gently grabbed Maddie’s arm. “Just one time.”

“Sure.”

“Was the bank excuse real?”

“Nope.”

“Okay.”

 

_________________

 

 

_“Holy shit, you did it without telling me?”_

“Yes. Why should I report my hookups to you anyway?”

_“Did it work?”_

“It was last night, Al. If it works, it wouldn't be that fast.”

 

________________

 

 

“Gina just asked to have sex with me, Alex.”

_“Your hot assistant? Go for it.”_

 

________________

 

 

Sam returned home, exhausted. She threw herself on the couch and exhaled a long breath. Her arms were sore after today.

Well, not just today.

Women appeared out of nowhere, swarming up in her waiting room. All pretty ladies. And they all came just for sex.

Sam was reluctant at first, to actually make this a thing. She didn't expect these many women to actually believe the rumor or just check if the charm worked.

Honestly, Sam didn't care if it worked anymore.

Sam received thousands of voicemails from women, had sex with almost all of them and had to decline dozens of them because she really needed a rest. Faces passing by, slowly one by one, Sam stopped trying to pay attention to their names, their reasons and just banged.

It was weird at first. Then it got less weird.

After four weeks, Sam started enjoying it.

She couldn't remember the last time she spent the night alone anymore. Her house was visited by countless women and they didn't stay for too long or overnight. It had come down to that level.

She had thought, _‘Wow, I finally understand what Alex means. This is amazing. Single life plus meaningless sex is the best!’_

That was until she opened the door that morning after a hectic train of bells.

“Alright, alright! I’m coming!” she groaned, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she walked to the door. It was a Saturday and Sam only had a late appointment so she decided to sleep in a bit but this person, whoever that was, interrupted her rare quiet morning.

The door sprung open when she yanked the handle, prepared herself for a curse but then she realized it was her cousin, Siobhan Smythe.

“Sammy, hi!” Siobhan grinned widely and came straight for a hug. Sam was surprised but hugged her back anyway. “How are you, cous?”

“I’m good. You? What are you doing here? I thought you went on a business trip?” she said, recalling their last conversation on the phone. Sam had kept the ‘Ring Charmer’ out of her family because she didn't want her mother to start nagging about marriage and children. It was fortunate that the girl from last night decided to leave right after sex like many others before her or else she would have to explain why there was a woman walking out of the kitchen wearing nothing but bunny ears.

“I would, today! This trip is important and I cannot miss it. That’s why I need you to do me a favor, sweet, adorable cousin Sammy!” Siobhan nearly burst into tears. Sam didn’t want to see anybody cry so she gently tapped on her shoulder to console her.

“I’ll see what I can do, ” she said. Siobhan’s face immediately lit up.

“Really? I’ll be in debt of you for the rest of my life! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Siobhan grabbed her face and tried to kiss her cheek but Sam quickly pulled back. Her cousin wasn’t upset by that and turned to her car, opening the door to reveal a dog. “Sammy, meet Rufus.”

Sam felt her heart stop.

She loved animals, she did.

She just couldn’t have one as a pet.

Giving Siobhan a glare, she gritted, “This wasn’t what I expected.”

“Pleaseeeeeeee Sammy! My regular sitter is sick and I can only give Rufus to a family because he’s my family too.” Siobhan called the dog close to the door and Sam instinctively took a step back. “Look at him, isn’t he adorable?” Siobhan pressed her cheek against the dog’s maul, giving Sam the best puppy eyes possible. Then she even faked the dog’s voice with a high-pitched tone, “Auntie Sammy, please take care of me while Mommy Siobhan is out. I promise I’ll behave.”

Sam cringed so hard at that. She didn’t understand the appeal of talking to animals in such voice as if they could understand humans better that way. “Stop doing that and I’ll take him.”

“Really?” Siobhan seemed incredibly happy, immediately let go of the dog and tried to kiss Sam’s cheek again. She successfully deflected that because she wouldn't want her face indirectly touched the dog’s. “Oh, Sammy, I knew I could count on you! Here is everything you need to know about Rufus, his eating habits, his sleeping time and his walk schedule. He’s really easy, you wouldn't even know that he’s around!”

That was a good lie her most honest cousin had ever told.

 

____________________

 

 

“Rufus! Give it back!” Sam shouted from upstairs when she spotted the black shadow sprinted through the door. She wasn’t even sure what the goddamn dog stole this time but she knew that he did and she needed to stop him.

The giant Doberman was in the living room, four paws on the beautiful cushions of her couch, Sam’s expensive bras between his teeth. Sam took a deep breath and calmly walked to the dog, trying not to show the animal that she was really pissed.

“Rufus, boy, give me back my bras,” she spoke slowly, hoping that the dog would somehow understand and drop the thing.

But Rufus only sat down and laid his head on the front paws, eyes glued to her, waiting.

Sam rolled her eyes, groaning a curse and pulled out her phone to dial her own office.

“Hello, Gina? Yes, it’s Sam. I need a day off. Please don’t take any appointment today,” she said, subbing her temple as her eyes caught the sight of dog paws on the fridge, on the sink and on the walls of her kitchen. It had only been two days since Rufus was let into the house and everything was a mess.

_“I don’t know if I can do that, Doctor. These people might not want to hear it.”_

Sam knew exactly whom Gina was talking about. The women who came to have charm sex. She really didn't want to deal with that right now. A Doberman was enough.

“Just tell them I have the flu.”

_“Okay. Good day, Doctor.”_

Sam proceeded to phone another person. After two rings, the other end picked up.

 _“Hey, Sam! I haven’t heard from you since forever!”_ The friendly tone of Alex's sister rang in her ear. _“How are you?”_

“I’m good and actually in need of your help, Kara.” She started with the dog breed and his behaviour, then his habit of stealing her clothes. “Please, please, please tell me I’m not living with a crazy dog.”

Kara laughed joyfully on the phone, _“Nope, he’s not crazy but you sound like you’re about to be. Since when you have a dog?”_

“I don’t. My cousin has a business trip and nobody to take care of her dog. You’re a vet, can you suggest some help?” Sam grabbed a towel and started scrubbing the stain of dog food near the sink. “There must be some service for people like me.”

_“Oh, it’s easy. You need a dog-sitter.”_

“Sure, send me the best one. I won’t spare any expenses. This dog is insufferable!”

Kara laughed again. Sam heard the sound of Kara’s newest patient among her laugh, must be a cat. Kara Danvers was a really good vet and Sam always had a huge admiration for anyone who had such patience to work with animals or children, which Kara did. Alex’s younger sister had a talent and she was grateful that she could count on Kara now.

_“I know someone. She’s one of the best dog-sitters out there. You said the dog was Doberman, right? That’s her favorite. So don’t worry, I’m going to give you her numb-”_

“Great! Can you send her to my house now? Rufus is driving me crazy!” Sam begged and felt her blood boil when she opened the fridge and found a half-eaten chocolate cake with a bite of Doberman-sized right at the front. “Just give her my address and make it quick before I escape the country.”

_“Sure, sure. She’ll be there for you.”_

 

_____________________

 

 

It was only ten minutes later that the doorbell rang. Sam sprinted to the door and yanked it open, not giving a damn about courtesy. She expected to find a woman in late forties, wearing a jumpsuit or anything related because taking care of dogs would make a mess.

On the contrary to her prediction, the dog-sitter was wearing a pink T-shirt with comfortable shorts. On her hands were small boxes of something Sam didn’t know and on her lips was a smile that formed an ‘o’ after a second when they both took a good at each other. Her green eyes stared into Sam’s, recreating a very fond memory of the woman who sometimes appeared in her dreams.

“Oh, it’s you!” Sam gasped and couldn't help a grin. “Lena from the wedding.”

Lena tilted her head, the smile lit up again. Her cheeks glowed a little, sending tingling sensation into Sam’s lower abdomen. “What a small world, Samantha Arias.”

“Indeed. Come in, please!” she stepped aside to give Lena space. Suddenly, she felt excited to stick around and see what dog-sitting was about, not following her initial plan to ditch the dog and find a coffee shop to hide in.

“Your house is large, Miss Arias,” Lena commented as she put the boxes down, “Perfect for an active Doberman.”

“How about a very active Doberman?” Sam challenged, gesturing the animal that was staring at them from his spot on the couch. “I’m surprised my furniture is still intact. But not for long, I’m afraid.”

Lena chuckled, slightly shaking her head. “What did he do?”

Sam pointed at the kitchen, “Repainting my walls here,” then at the hall, where the signs of long scratching were everywhere, “My wallpaper is too ugly for him, I guess.” Lena giggled and Sam thought that was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard. She finally gestured the living room. “This is where the mutiny starts.”

Lena took a look at the dog and then covered her mouth to hide a laugh. “Looks like he’s gotten the token.”

Sam’s eyes followed and then realized her bras were still in between Rufus’ teeth. Heat rushed to her face but she tried to be calm and replied, “Nah, that’s just the flag.”

“What a creative flag. I’d join this mutiny.” Lena sent her a glance that flipped Sam’s heart multiple times and walked to the giant dog with confidence. “Hi, big guy. What’s his name?”

“Satan,” she joked.

“Miss Arias…,“ Lena threw her a look over the shoulder.

“Rufus.” Sam crossed her arms, leaning her side against the door frame to the living room and observed the interaction. Lena crouched down a bit, made eye contact with the dog the entire time. It felt like she was preparing to introduce herself to a child.

“Hi Rufus, my name is Lena. It’s great to meet you.” Lena raised one hand slowly for Rufus to see and reached out, “Can I touch you? Are you a good boy?”

Sam held her breath when Lena’s fingers started caressing the dog’s maul. She would never do that to strange dogs and she believed Rufus had tried to bite her when she was pouring water into his bowl while he was eating.

When Lena’s palm successfully rubbed Rufus’ face, Sam let out a relieved sigh. The beautiful woman leaned forward and scratching the dog’s chin then neck while her other hand rubbed gently along his nose. Slowly, the maul opened and Lena took the bras out, wrapping her arms around the dog’s neck lovingly, constantly saying _‘Good boy, good boy!’_ to the animal.

Sam unconsciously smiled at that. It was cute.

“I believe this is yours, Miss Arias,” the dog-sitter smirked when she handed the piece of clothing back to Sam.

“Are you sure? How do you know they’re mine?” Sam teased, lifting an eyebrow knowingly, “Did you check me out?”

The blushed flashed quickly across Lena’s cheeks but she wasn’t flustered. “It’s your house so they’re yours. Simple.” Lena cleared her throat and dropped the bras on Sam’s open hand.

“I’ve never expected to get this from you,” Sam ignored the sticky slime on the bras and smiled kindly at Lena, “in fact, I didn’t expect to see you again, Lena.”

The shorter brunette shyly looked down at her own hands and then back at Sam again. “Me neither. I saw the last name Arias but I didn’t think it would be you behind the door.”

“Disappointed?” Sam carefully asked, knowing that Lena’s answer would haunt her for a few days.

“Surprised.” Lena’s lips stretched again, gracing Sam with her pretty smile. “Definitely not disappointed.”

The easy conversation lingered a bit in the air as if they both didn't want to break it off. Suddenly, Rufus ran to them and barked loudly, startling them both.

“Woah, what does he want?” Sam stepped back, glaring at the animal.

“A walk, I suppose. Do you have a leash?” Lena asked, rubbing Rufus’ head.

Sam grabbed said object from the top of the counter and hooked it on Rufus’ collar. “Are you taking him for a walk now?”

“ _We_ will go now,” Lena replied and then added, “Unless you’re busy with something. It’s Tuesday.” She picked up a small bag and tucked it in her pocket.

“Nope, absolutely not.” Sam didn't question anything. Why would she want to leave this woman’s side anyway? She had a day off.

They stepped outside of the house with Lena holding the leash while Sam locked the door. Then they slowly strolled along the sidewalk and started talking about the most random things like the weather or what Sam could remember from the note that her cousin left about Rufus’ behaviour.

“That’s okay, I’ll take a look when we return,” Lena reassured her as they turned a right turn, “I guess this dog isn’t yours.”

Sam laughed and kicked a stone on the pavement. “He’s my cousin’s. I’m just the temporary owner. That’s why I desperately need you.”

“Oh?” Lena blushed, looking at Rufus, who was trying to dig something at someone’s front yard, “A dog-sitter, you mean.”

Sam smirked, not answering that. “So… what does a dog-sitter do?”

“The basics: feeding, changing the water in the pet’s bowl, playing with the dog and providing medication if needed, cleaning up their messes, and so on. Woah, easy boy,” Lena called, gripping on the leash when Rufus was trying to outrun the hold. “Also other tasks from the owner.”

“Other tasks from the owner?” Sam spotted an opportunity to tease and went on with it, “How about a date?”

Lena bit her lip to hide a grin. “It must be related to the pet, Miss Arias.”

“Great, I’ll take Rufus along,” she gestured the Doberman.

“Miss Arias,” Lena warned, “if you’re confused with the service I provide, I can recommend another dog-sitter.”

“Fine, no flirting.”

She had no idea that following this simple rule was really difficult.


	2. Dogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Sam got herself into situations that pulled her closer to Lena unknowingly.
> 
> And Lena saw her ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm back!
> 
> I don't own any character, only Rufus and the mistakes :))
> 
> Enjoy!

Sam put on the blouse and started buttoning it while the other woman in the room was wearing her tights, on the other edge of the bed. She looked around and spotted a picture of a dog.

“Hey, you have a dog?” she asked, pulling up her pants.

The blonde turned around, pausing her hands around the hem of her shirt. “Yes.”

“Does your dog climb on your bed at night?”

“Yes.”

“Is that normal?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks.”

The woman stared at her with a kind smile. “Do you want to stay over? You don’t have to leave right away.”

Sam shook her head, walking out of the bedroom. “I’ve been there, trust me, staying over wouldn't change anything.”

She whistled casually when she walked to the car. It was getting more like a habit than something she liked to do. Every time she left a woman’s bed, Sam went straight to the door, not looking back. If the woman wanted her to stick around, Sam reminded her that her rightful soulmate was waiting tomorrow.

Turning up the music, Sam let the speakers blast Break The Ice by Britney Spears. The air was cool and the lights were on, Sam enjoyed the night.

It was Friday, the third day Sam left Rufus home alone with Lena. Or to be exact, Lena was left alone with Rufus.

She couldn't concentrate much today at work because firstly, all of her patients were there for sex, and secondly, her mind was filled with Lena.

It was her fault to leave the house _after_ Lena came. She couldn't help but have the tingling feeling inside her body that made her want to stay home and just watch Lena play with the dog like two days ago. Even though the dog-sitter only stayed in the morning to arrange things for her work, Sam was really glad that Lena had helped her a lot with basic information like how Dobermans shouldn’t be left alone because they were really sensitive and might experience abandonment if left alone.

When she went out for lunch today, she had called home to make sure Lena was okay.

_“Aren’t you supposed to be worried about Rufus, Miss Arias?”_

Sam had smiled at the sound of Lena’s low voice on the phone. They didn't talk long because Sam knew that Lena should focus on Rufus rather than chatting. After hanging up, Alex was already giving her a look.

Alex had given her the same look on Wednesday when Sam first called Lena to check up.

 

***

 

_“Who was that?” her friend casually asked while stirring her tea._

_“My dog-sitter,” Sam shrugged, putting two cubes of sugar into her cup of coffee, “I have to check every day.”_

_“Oh…,” Alex sounded like she was about to gossip. Sam was right about that. “Is that a woman?”_

_“The dog-sitter? Yes,” Sam looked down at the cup because she didn’t want to make eye contact with the conspiracy swimming in Alex’ eyes._

_“Did you bang her?”_

_The question was so direct and unexpected, even though Sam should have seen it coming, and Sam choked on her coffee. “What the fuck, Alex?” she shouted, snorting the thick liquid through her nose, coughing crazily._

_“Sorry, let me rephrase it: did you or did you not have sexual intimacy with your dog-sitter?”_

_“Ugh, stop. I did not. Nothing happened,” Sam swallowed down the remaining coffee from the failed gulp._

_“Then why did you giggle like a schoolgirl when you were on the phone with her?” Alex gave her a tissue to dab around the table._

_Sam’s hands halted in the middle of scrubbing the surface. “I did not giggle.*_

_“Yes, you did. You think that can get past me?”_

_“I’m just happy Rufus is in good hands,” Sam continued to wipe the coffee table and shrugged off the matter._

_“You screamed into the phone ‘I want to kill this fucking dog’ on Monday,” Alex reminded her and Sam knew she was busted, “What changed?”_

_She sighed in defeat. Sometimes having a person who knew you too well was a curse. You just couldn't hide anything from them. “Fine, it’s Lena.”_

_Alex made a confused face. “Who?”_

_“From Sarah’s wedding,” Sam added later on._

_Her friend’s mouth formed an ‘oh’. “Damn. And?”_

_“She’s my dog-sitter.”_

_“Wow.”_

_“I know.”_

_“What are you going to do about that?”_

_Sam frowned at her friend. “What do you mean?”_

_“Are you going to…?” Alex shrugged and gave Sam a knowing look. It was enough for her to understand what her friend’s dirty mind was going through._

_“Jesus, Alex. I’m not - that’s - I don’t know!” Sam knew she was blushing even at the thought of getting intimate with Lena but she tried to push such filthy image out if her head. “She’s my dog-sitter!”_

_Alex crossed her arms leaning back in her chair like a detective. Sam expected Alex to bring her feet up on the table and was glad she didn’t. “Are you sure you won’t try to do anything?”_

_“Yes. No. I mean, I don’t know. I didn’t think I’d see her again.” Sam sighed, running her fingers on the curve of the plate in front of her. “Before knowing about the charm thing, I’d see this as a second chance and try to ask her out. But now, I don’t know.”_

_“Listen, Sammy,” Alex placed one hand on Sam’s, sympathetically said, “I know you, okay? The first thing you do in such situations would be doubting your own decision. And I believe it’s hard for you since you clearly like her.”_

_Sam rolled her eyes, “I don’t like her.”_

_“You hate her?”_

_“No! I just… I can’t like her now, can I? There’s nothing between us and I plan to keep it that way,” Sam declared surely, thinking back on the rule of ‘no flirting’._

_“Can you do that now?” Alex raised an eyebrow, “If you change your mind and pursue her, I won’t judge.”_

_Holding back a sigh, Sam shook her head. “I respect her wish, Al. Besides, it’s not like she’s ‘the one’.”_

 

***

 

After that, Alex had suggested Sam sleep with even more women. At first, Sam didn’t understand but then Alex stated her reason.

_“If you’re too tired already, you won’t even have the energy to think about Lena.”_

To be honest, it made sense.

So Sam had sex with three women on Wednesday, four on Thursday and five today. The extra woman she slept with on Thursday was her precaution because her heart still flipped upside down when she returned home on Wednesday and saw Lena scratching Rufus’ belly while the giant animal was laying on the ground.

Today, she would definitely not get hot and bothered around Lena anymore. Five women had already exhausted her, plus a long day at work, she’d be fine.

When she opened the door, Sam had expected to see the dog or Lena playing in the living room but no one was there. She hung the coat on the stander and asked around, “Hello?”

No answers could be heard.

Checking the kitchen, Sam didn't find them either. Her heartbeat started picking up the pace as she went along the hall. Only then, she heard laughter.

That laughter came from the guest bathroom at the end of the hall.

Quirking up an eyebrow, Sam gently walked to the door and found that it wasn't closed. The sound of the shower running and something stomping into liquid surface gave away what kind of activity was happening inside the bathroom and Sam wondered if she should announce them that she was home.

Then she heard Lena’s voice.

“Sam is so going to kill us both, Rufus.”

She couldn't help a smile. It was the first time since they met again that Lena used her first name, even though without her presence.

“No, Rufus, don't use puppy eyes on me. I’m immune- no, do not- I’m not going to-aaaaa” Lena’s shriek startled Sam and her first move was sprinting into the bathroom to see what happened.

And there it was, Rufus in the bathtub, soap, and bubbles were all over the place, from inside the tub to the wall, the floor, the toilet seat and even on the window.

Sam should have been mad. She should have.

But she couldn't because among the mess she spotted a pair of legs in jeans sticking out of the bubble mountain, bare feet wiggling desperately and the entire view made it like Rufus had upper-body of a dog and the lower-body of a human.

Lena emerged from the water with a gasp, gripping on the tub’s edge to steady herself, completely was covered in bubbles. “Rufus!” she stared at the dog, “I said no!”

It seemed like Lena hadn’t notice Sam’s presence yet and the dentist was amused by the idea of seeing Lena’s interactions with Rufus when she wasn’t around. Her heart warmed up when Lena, drenched in water and bubbles, grabbed the dog’s ears and squished her nose against the dog’s.

“That was foul play, Rufus.”

The Doberman licked Lena’s face, from her chin up to her cheek and the dog-sitter grinned. Then she laughed.

Gosh, Sam liked this sound. She crossed her arms and leaned against the frame, quietly taking in the sight of the woman she barely knew and the dog that wasn’t hers fooling around in the bathtub so naturally like they belonged there.

It reminded her of a dream she used to have: a home with someone and possibly children. Pets, even.

The jab she felt that hadn't had occurred for years, even after loads of breakups, Sam never felt so exposed and vulnerable like in this moment. Something stung in her eyes and she decided to make herself known before stupid feelings got to her again.

“I hope the water bill is included in the dog-sitting fee,” she spoke and Rufus answered with a bark.

Lena turned to her, mouth opened in shock and she stood up immediately. “Miss Arias! I’m terribly sorry. This wasn't my intention! I was giving Rufus a bath and he pulled me in.” Her face got redder after every word, “I-I’m going to clean up the mess right away!” Lena hastily stepped out of the tub.

Sam’s eyes cast down on where the girl would step on and she charged forward when she saw the bottle of shampoo for animal had been knocked over and spilling soap out on the floor.

“Watch out!” she warned but it was too late.

She didn't think anything, only reached out to grab Lena forearm and pulled the girl to her so that the slip wouldn’t throw Lena backward and her head would hit the tub. Wrapping her arms around Lena’s back, Sam felt herself slipping on the ground as well and braced for impact.

A loud thud was heard when Sam received the force as her back hit the floor. A sharp jolt of pain hit her right shoulder, making her wince and squeeze her embrace around Lena tighter. They fell flat on the ground with Rufus barking loudly in the background.

When Sam sensed Lena moving on her chest, she slowly released her arms. The green-eyed girl's head lifted up and she worriedly stared at Sam. “Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?”

Sam was still shutting her eyes, groaning when she felt something pressing on her left thigh.

“Are you hurt? Where is it? Answer me.” She felt Lena’s wet and cold hands cupping her face and a wave of goosebumps ran across her neck and then expanded on her back. “Miss Arias, please, open your eyes.”

Sam thought she should mess with the girl a bit. “I feel so cold… Is that a light?”

“Holy shit. Do not walk into the light!” Lena screamed, gripping Sam’s shirt and shook constantly, “Sam, do not die! I’ll kill you if you die!”

Sam burst out laughing. Lena froze on and gawked pointedly at her, hands still gripping the collar of her shirt. She opened her eyes, teasingly grinned at the woman lying on top of her. “You’ve got to think again about that order.”

“You’re alive,” Lena muttered, still pretty surprised. Her eyes still searched for something wildly on Sam’s face as if she was still checking. She slowly sat up, putting more pressure on Sam’s lower abdomen, stirring up some parts of her body that should be exhausted by now. “Thank God, you’re okay.”

Sam glanced down and noticed that Lena was straddling her hips and the warmth pooled between her legs startled her. She had been with five women today already!

_This cannot be happening._

Lena seemed to realize the situation and blushed furiously as she crouched to a side and left Sam. The dentist was fully aware that nobody would know that she was aroused but somehow she still instinctively got shy and pulled herself up from the ground by gripping on the sink on her left.

“You’re okay?” Sam asked Lena when she leaned against the wall. Her back was already soaking wet but she didn’t care.

“Yes, thanks for earlier,” Lena smiled awkwardly, “I need to stop falling.”

Sam chuckled, crouching forward to take off her shoes. “I wouldn’t mind catching. But you need to be more careful, Lena.”

“I’ll try, especially around our little pal Rufus.”

Rufus heard his name and stopped staying out of the humans’ business. He barked and jumped out of the tub, running on the slippery floor to Sam. She dropped the shoes and tried to grab the Doberman’s neck to keep him away from her face but his long tongue was already ravaging her mouth, nose, and eyes. The force was too much and Sam found herself being pushed onto her back again. “Oh God, it’s in my mouth! Help!”

Lena laughed like a maniac but ultimately crawled to them and got a hold around Rufus to prevent him from crushing Sam. “Come on, you’re dirty already,” the dog-sitter giggled, “Rufus only wants to welcome you home.”

Sam wiped her mouth furiously and sat up. “Well, he should do that less aggressively. And look at you,” she gestured Lena’s T-shirt, “you're soaking, Lena.”

Sam didn't think there would be a scenario for her to tell Lena that without getting involved a hot makeout session so as soon as the words left her mouth, the pang of lust hit again and she felt embarrassingly hot.

_Fuck, not now._

Fortunately, Lena didn’t sense the innuendo, or she did but decided to ignore it and stood up. “I’m fine. I’ll just wash the soap off Rufus, clean this bathroom and call it a day.”

Sam shook her head, pushing down impure thoughts when she noticed Lena’s bras began to appear underneath her wet outfit and said, “You don’t have to. Please take a shower and wear something dry on your way home. I’ll finish things here with Rufus.”

“No, no, no, I can’t do that, Miss Arias. It’s my job to clean up the pet’s mess, remember? And this is also my mess too. Let me do this.” Lena’s eyes formed a begging puppy look. “In exchange, I'll dog-sit Rufus in one day for free.”

Sam was about to refuse the offer but Lena had already grabbed the shower head and called Rufus back into the tub and washed the bubbles off him. “Fine, you take care of Rufus and I’ll clean this mess up. Two are quicker than one.” She picked up the dry towel on the rack and started wiping off the bubbles on the mirror.

They both did their task in silence. Sam had no idea what was going on in Lena’s mind but on her part, it was insane how much she thought about that moment when she lied on the ground and Lena was straddling her hips. They were both wet, Sam was exhausted but her body suddenly stayed awake from that moment on due to the flame of lust burning at her groin.

When the bathroom and Rufus were clean again, Sam came to her room and fished out a good shirt and a pair of sweatpants for Lena.

“You really don’t have to,” the dog-sitter said, not taking the clothes yet.

“Oh, stop it.” Sam placed them on the hanging counter near the sink and called for Rufus, “You better take a hot shower and wear these or else you’d get sick.” She closed the door to the guest bathroom, leaving Lena inside and returned to the kitchen with Rufus.

The dog barked joyfully when she took out his food and scooped a huge spoonful of it to put in his bowl. The portion was generous and Rufus stared at her in confusion.

“You shouldn’t have pulled Lena into the tub-” Sam said, scooping another spoon. “-because that image is going to get stuck in my head. I can’t be hot and bothered around her, understand?” Rufus glared at the bowl, drooling. Sam rolled her eyes and pushed the bowl to him. “What am I doing? Talking to a dog?”

The Doberman happily enjoyed his dinner. Sam realized she hadn’t eaten anything and walked to the phone as a habit.

_Wait, Lena is here._

Sam left the phone and returned to the kitchen, opening the top counters to search for food.

She hadn’t cooked anything for anyone for years.

Through all of her relationships, none of the ex-girlfriends wanted to stay the night. Even if they did, when Sam offered to cook for them, they all denied for various reasons and she always believed them.

Now thinking back, Sam felt like the dumbest person in the world. She hadn’t known how long the rumor about her being the Ring Charmer had been spread but if she put one and one together, all of her exes must have come to her just for sex. And not even the typical sexual relationships, it was worse. They only used her to find their real lover out there.

Sam was just a ticket for them to get on the train of happiness.

And Sam had always been a believer, always thought that she could be happy with someone.

She stirred the sauce inside the pan with a wooden spoon, trying to force herself forget about the fact that she had been fooled in every relationship so far, but she failed that. The pace of her hand started picking up when she recalled all of the times she let her girlfriends go after a passionate night together and they never returned again.

_I was so stupid. I was fucking stupid._

The charm had made her realized how naive she had been, thinking that if she kept on believing, she would find ‘the one’. No wonder Alex didn’t believe that.

_There is no charm. It’s just me being stupid._

Her grip around the spoon got harder as she stirred the sauce faster even though her vision started blurring. The truth was pouring down her mind, striking at her heart and squeezing around her throat.

_I didn’t mean shit to them. I was nothin-_

“Hey,” a soft voice called out. Sam froze when a gentle hand placed on her arm. “I think the sauce is done.”

Sam blinked several times to regain her vision and found Lena’s concern eyes. She gulped away the sorrow stuck in her throat and answered, “Yeah, thank you.” She turned off the stove and brought the pan to the left, placing it on a wooden plate. “I was just thinking.” Lena seemed like she was still worried so Sam added, “Please have dinner with me.”

A small smile curved up Lena’s lips. “Miss Arias, we talked about this.”

“It’s not a date, I promise. I just want to have dinner with someone for a change,” Sam honestly said, started taking out the spaghetti pack. “And Rufus doesn’t count.”

“It’s _not_ a date,” Lena repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Sam gave her a smirk. “No. Unless you want it to be.”

The dog-sitter laughed merrily and walked to Sam. “I’ll take care of this,” she got the spaghetti pack from Sam, “while you go take a shower, Miss Arias.”

Sam raised her palms in the air, stepping back. “Sure, give me ten minutes.” Before going upstairs, she asked the other woman, “Since you’re wearing my clothes now, at least stop calling me ‘Miss Arias’.”

Lena didn’t turn around, only responded with, “Ten minutes, Sam.”

When Sam walked into her bathroom, the mirror caught the sight of its owner smiling brightly, her cheeks were glowing. It had been a long time since Sam was truly happy.

 

____________________

 

 

“What happened last night?” Lucy asked as her hand stop moving the toothbrush.

Lena didn’t look at her friend, continued to tie her shoelace. “What do you mean ‘what happened’?”

“You came home late. You’re never late,” Lucy shrugged, “Past the last bus.”

“I got held up a bit,” Lena answered casually, hoping her friend would just drop the subject.

“Uh huh…” Lucy did drop the matter but Lena heard the tone and knew that one day her friend would bring this back. “Where are you going so early? It’s not even eight o’clock.”

Lena put on the jacket, picking up the keys from the bowl placed near the door. “Work. Later, Luce.”

The door to Lena’s apartment closed.

Lucy, standing alone in the hall, mumbled to herself, “Work on Saturday?”

 

___________________

 

 

Alex groaned when she heard the ringtone of her phone and blindly searched for it on the counter next to the bed. Rubbing one eye with her other hand, she took the call. “Hello?”

 _“I’m going out with Lena! What should I do?”_ Sam’s freaked out voice almost deafened her and she had to stretch her arm to save her hearing ability.

“Wait, since when you two are going out?” Alex glanced at the clock. “At 5 a.m? What the fuck Sam?”

_“Not right now but later today. And it’s not a date!”_

“Okay, slow down. What happened?”

And that was when Alex got the gist of everything. Turned out, Sam had dinner with Lena last night at her house. ‘A not-a-date dinner’ as she put it. During the dinner, there was a call from Siobhan’s mother, asking her to come over and have a picnic with the Smythes family. Alex knew that Siobhan was Sam’s cousin and everyone in the Smythes family was really nice.

_“...during the call, Rufus jumped on Lena and Siobhan’s mother heard her voice, thinking she was my girlfriend and wanted me to bring both Rufus and Lena there. I am fucked.”_

Alex could imagine Sam grabbing a pillow and shoving her head into it to scream. Who would have thought a confident and attractive woman like Sam had such relatable freaking out moments like this?

“You’re not fucked, okay? Did Lena refuse to go?”

_“You know how the Smythes always bring their pets along. Siobhan’s mom mentioned that and Lena wanted to go because she loved dogs. Also, Rufus would be able to interact with other dogs. Apparently, that’s good for them!”_

Alex chuckled. “Then what’s the problem?”

There was a pause before Sam continued. _“Do you remember telling me about having sex with more women so I would be exhausted and wouldn't care about Lena?”_

“Yeah, so?”

_“I did that. And it doesn’t work. I still… you know.”_

“How many women per day?”

_“Yesterday, five.”_

Alex gasped, “And you’re still turned on by her? You horn dog!” She could feel the burning glare of her friend even though she wasn’t here. “Aw, c’mon, that’s a compliment.”

_“I don’t need compliments right now, Al, I need help. If after five women and I still get hot and bothered around Lena, how the fuck can I handle being around her for a whole day?”_

She sighed, considering that the importance of the matter was indeed huge. “Okay, don’t freak out. You can control yourself, right?”

_“Of course, I can. I’m not a savage. The thing is I don’t want to be attracted to Lena.”_

“Isn’t it a little too late for that?”

_“Fuck, I know. She’s not just very pretty, she’s also smart and funny. I can’t find a single unattractive thing about her! What’s wrong with me?”_

“Hold on. You’ve known this girl only for a few days. Bad things tend to appear when you know someone longer. Just go and be yourself.”

_“She’s pretending to be my girlfriend, being myself is the last thing I should do.”_

“Then be yourself while pretending to date her. I know you can do this, Sammy.”

_“You don’t know how to help me, do you?”_

“What do you think?” Alex groaned, throwing herself back onto the bed. “Do you want me to make up an excuse for you? I can break your leg.”

_“Sometimes, I can’t even tell if you’re being my friend, Al. It’s okay, I can handle this. Go back to sleep, bitch.”_

“Good luck.”

 

_________________

 

 

Sam nervously sat in the car. She hadn't expected to be in such situation when she invited Lena to stay over for dinner yesterday. It had been a nice time, to be honest, to spend a slow night only to talk.

She realized Lena rarely talked about herself. Whenever she asked, the girl always changed the subject and Sam didn't dare to push. Instead, she talked about herself. She told Lena about the days she had been trained, the times she had scars and the one time she accidentally broke one of her fingers.

_“Ouch, that must have hurt like hell.”_

_“Heck yeah, it did. My mom freaked out and screamed at me for two hours straight. Not a good time.”_

_“My mother never freaked out over something I do. I’m adopted.”_

That was when Sam felt like Lena was opening up. She had no idea what to do because she shouldn't have done this in the first place. Getting to know Lena more than she should was a dumb move. She had told herself to stay away from the gorgeous green eyes and red lips that screamed troubles but it was too late.

Before being able to stop herself, Sam revealed, _“Me too.”_

Then the talk shifted into something new, like the way Lena smiling gently when Sam told her about her first baseball championship that got her a black eye or the way Lena snorted then embarrassingly covered her mouth when Sam shared the story of mistaking a raccoon for another animal.

“You really thought it was an alien cat?” Lena asked through her cackling.

“Stop laughing, I was eight.” Sam took a grape and threw at the other woman.

Sam hadn't even noticed the time until Siobhan’s mother called and that was when things blew up. The good thing was Lena didn’t freak out over having to pretend to date Sam for a day. The bad thing was Sam being afraid.

She was afraid that she had broken the rules she set for herself.

She was afraid that spending a day with Lena would only deepen the hole Sam had dug for herself.

She was afraid that she would start dreaming for ‘the one' again.

Rufus breathed loudly in the back seat, seemingly excited for a day out. Sam turned to look at the dog and told him, “Then I’ll just focus on you, big guy.”

The door of the apartment building opened, Lena appeared and waved at her. Sam quickly got off the car and came to greet the woman.

“Good morning, Lena,” she smiled at the shorter brunette, who closed the door behind her.

“Good morning, Sam.” Hearing her name being said with Lena’s voice, Sam suddenly felt the temperature going up. It was weird because Lena had called her ‘Sam’ during their dinner last night. “Shall we go?”

“Sure, but first, breakfast.”

They had the first meal of the day at a fast food stop on the road. Sam had to skip two previous stops because they didn’t allow pets inside and Lena thought it would be unfair to leave Rufus alone.

“Have you ever had pets?” Lena asked when they were almost done with the breakfast. Rufus was let into a special yard for dogs and was jumping around with a Golden Retriever and a Pinscher. 

Sam shook her head. “No, I haven’t. Why?”

“Nothing, I’m just curious. You don’t seem like the type to be trusted to take care a dog. No offense,” Lena smiled, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear.

“None taken. You have types of people around dogs?” Sam snickered through the Coke can.

“When you dog-sit long enough, you'd find out. It tells you a lot about a person in the way they treat animals,” the shorter brunette declared confidently, “There are people who truly love dogs, there are people who don’t but they have dogs and treat them nicely.”

“What kind of person am I?” she got curious about how Lena saw her.

Lena knowingly smiled, “You seem like a lone wolf, but you’re not annoyed by others. You don’t keep pets but you treat Rufus really well, despite everything he has caused. You live alone and are comfortable with it but you have two large bedrooms. It makes me think that you yearn for companionship but don’t want to express that.” Green eyes squinted at Sam, Lena pointed at the dentist’s Coke. “You’re one of those who thinks she’s bad with pets but isn’t. And it’s the same with people, too.”

Sam heard the thud of something dropping in her heart. It was unexpected how deep Lena could see her through the short time they knew each other. It was so unfair because she wasn’t ready to be seen.

“How do you know I have two large bedrooms?” Sam deflected with a question.

Lena blushed, waving her hands, “I didn’t snoop around, Rufus did and I had to get him out of those rooms! I swear!”

Sam laughed and chugged down the rest of the Coke. It was easy to tease Lena and Sam realized spending time with the woman wasn’t as hard as she had expected it to be.

The trip was fun and Rufus always jumped in to sing along with the songs Lena suggested and Sam found out something else about the woman: Lena only sang better than Rufus. Her mouth became sore after laughing at how Lena and Rufus competed against each other while Let It Go was played and even though her ears were totally numb, Sam had never been so entertained.

They arrived at the picnic less than an hour later and Sam gestured Lena to stay inside the car.

“They think we’re dating, but they don’t know how long. Let’s make it like we just start things and nothing is serious yet,” Sam glanced at Lena for her reaction, “What do you think?”

“Good idea. Also, how did we meet?” Lena engaged in wholeheartedly, “At Sarah’s wedding, too?”

“Sure. But hey, I haven’t known how you and Sarah are related? Are you her cousin?” Sam hoped that it wasn’t true because she didn’t feel like getting involved with an ex-related person in any way, even though if Lena was really related to Sarah, Sam would be more motivated to stay away from her.

“No. I dog-sat Bobo, her wife’s dog.” The answer made Sam relieved but also not because the motivation was gone. “And you? How are you related to them?”

“She’s my ex,” Sam admitted.

“And you came to her wedding,” Lena quirked an eyebrow amusingly, “she even gave you a toast. Is there something I need to know? As your fake current girlfriend, I mean.”

Sam didn’t think she should tell Lena about The Ring Charmer rumor because Lena would definitely laugh at her face for believing in weird stuff. “I was surprised, too. Do you remember every name of the pet you sat?”

Lena smiled shyly, “Yes. Is that weird?”

“No, that’s dedication. I admire that.” They gazed into each other for too long a second before Rufus barked again and Sam continued, “My favorite color is purple. Yours?”

“Purple,” Lena answered with a giant smile, “my favorite food is pizza.”

Sam tilted her head as she responded, “Toppings?”

“Cheese,” the green eyes narrowed playfully at Sam.

“This is so weird because that’s my favorite topping too.” Sam didn’t expect this but felt happy because they had something in common. “Is there any chance you watched and loved The Silver Brumby?”

Lena’s mouth dropped open. “Shut up. That was my favorite show when I was little!” They burst out laughing so hard that startled Rufus and the Doberman jumped around in the backseat. Lena wiped the tear from her eye and added, “Where have you been all my life?”

Sam knew it was just a saying. Sam knew it was a joke. Sam knew it didn’t matter. But her heart didn’t care, it beat faster, stronger and desperately searched out for the same rhythm from Lena. It was too quick for Sam to fall for anyone. It couldn’t be.

They entered the picnic area prepared. The most common questions were discussed and answers were prepared. When they were a few steps inside the area, Sam suddenly remembered something.

“Lena, can I hold your hand?” she asked and turned her palm up.

The dog-sitter blushed at first, then she ‘ah’ed as if she understood and switched the leash to the other hand and laced her fingers with Sam’s. The sensation of warmth and unfamiliar touch heated up Sam’s palm, burning like a flame that had nothing to do with the temperature.

The Smythes were really easy to spot. They were the ones with loads of dogs and always brought delicious food. Sam waved at Siobhan’s mom when she found her. “Mrs. Smythe!”

The kind woman looked up from preparing the hotdogs for others and walked to them with open arms. “Sammy, you came!” She hugged Sam and kissed her cheeks affectionately. The dentist noticed that the hand wrapping around hers had let go and tried not to be upset. Mrs. Smythe turned to Lena after letting Sam go. “You must be Sam's girl. Hi, my name is Linda. Please don’t call me ‘Mrs. Smythe’ like Sam does.” Sam grinned widely when Lena was called ‘Sam’s girl’.

“Very nice to meet you, Linda,” Lena openly welcomed the older woman’s hug.

The picnic was not as stressful as Sam had thought, especially when others didn’t pressure much about how they had met and only went on with the fact that Sam had a girlfriend.

Rufus, on the other hand, received all of the attention and the dog enjoyed that a lot. The Smythes really did love dogs, just look at the way they petted and fed them, we felt an enormous amount of love and care. Rufus chased after a few fellow giant dogs and barked happily every time he tackled one.

“When you mentioned dogs, I didn’t expect this many, to be honest,” Lena commented when she crouched down and ruffled the fur of a typical fluffy dog that came to her. “This is almost heaven. Thank you.”

The gleam in Lena’s eyes expressed utter gratitude and immense joy, Sam just wanted to drown in the strikingly beautiful green color in front of her. “You’re welcome.”

“Sammy, Lena, can you come over and help me a bit?” Mrs. Smythe called out to them and they both came to the table. “We still have too many hot dogs, I think we should just give everyone in the park. Can you prepare the hotdogs while others and I bring these to the folks at the river bank?”

“Sure, Mrs. Smythe.”

Many of the Smythes delivered the hotdogs and most of the dogs followed their owners. Shannon, one of Siobhan’s aunts, walked up to them while Lena was in the middle of putting ketchup on the rest of the hotdogs.

“Sam, sweetie, I’ll bring these to Linda, can you hold Buckshot for me?” The kind woman handed Sam the little fluffy fur ball with a smile.

She was taken aback at why Shannon would give her the dog while there was a legit dog-sitter right there but considering Lena’s hands were busy, Sam eventually took the dog into her arms. The dog wasn’t heavy but of course not light either. But nothing Sam couldn’t handle. “Sure. She’s a little cutie.”

“She sure is. And she loves head rubs so feel free to do it, Sammy.” Shannon left with the rest of the hotdogs.

Lena smiled knowingly when she wiped her hands with a towel. “Look, you’re natural.”

Sam chuckled nervously, rubbing Buckshot’s head gently and was glad that the dog seemed to enjoy it so much. “Am I qualified to be a dog-sitter now?”

“Almost,” Lena also rubbed Buckshot’s head and the little dog turned to lick her hand. “That tickles, little girl.”

A bark startled them all. Rufus was sprinting straight at them and Lena stepped forward to welcome him with open arms. Sam had thought that the Doberman was coming for Lena too.

He wasn’t.

He ran to Sam.

And he jumped on her.

Buckshot, a little and gentle dog, escaped Sam’s hold and landed on the grass as Sam being tackled on her back by the giant Rufus.

“What the heck, Rufus? Get off me!” Sam yelled, feeling paws trampling all over her.

“Rufus! Down boy! Down!” She heard Lena’s voice as she struggled to get out of the Doberman’s range. “Buckshot, run!”

The little furball sprinted away but she didn’t head in the opposite direction, she ran around Lena, resulted in the leash on Rufus’ collar wrapping around her legs and knocking her down. Sam quickly ran to her as soon as she saw what was going on. Rufus tried to get away from the leash to hunt Buckshot down, loudly barking at the furball.

At least, Rufus wouldn’t be able to hurt the little dog anymore, Sam thought.

It was the truth, but Sam had left out another side of the battle that was Buckshot herself.

As soon as Rufus was clearly stuck with Lena and Sam, Buckshot glared her teeth.

Sam had never seen such a scary pose coming from a little furball.

Buckshot growled and ran towards Rufus with her bared teeth and a warrior spirit.

_Fuck, she’s going to attack Rufus!_

The angry furball charged right at Rufus’ neck and Sam didn’t think before she wrapped the Doberman with her arms and pushed both Rufus and Lena down to avoid the bullet attack.

Sam had thought that for a little dog like Buckshot, the bite wouldn’t be painful.

But Sam hadn’t learned that Buckshot looked like a Shih Tzu, a gentle dog breed, but she was actually a Lhasa Apso, one of the most aggressive breeds and Lhasa Apso’s bite would be hellishly excruciating.

She hadn’t known any of that when Buckshot’s teeth dug into her ass.

All of the birds in the park scattered away as the dentist’s painful scream echoed in the air, muting every other sound for five long seconds.

 

 

_______________________________

 

 

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” Sam squinted her eyes as her jeans were being pulled down to reveal the bite to naked eyes. The cold surface of the operation table that was usually used for animals was now small for a grown woman with a swollen wound on her ass.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s painful but I need to clean this,” Kara’s voice rang in her eyes, trying to help her stay calm. “Lena, pull them all down.”

If Sam wasn’t so in pain, she would be absolutely embarrassed that her bare ass was on display in front of Lena, someone she was attracted to. It was definitely the worst moment of her life when Lena was the one to extract Buckshot’s maul from Sam’s ass and even looked into it to see if it was bleeding.

_I want to cry._

Sam tried to stay calm when she felt Lena’s hand gripping the waistband of her jeans and pulled it down to her thighs, following Kara’s instruction. She may or may not have sexy dreams about Lena pulling down her pants but not like this. This was totally embarrassing and humiliating how Lena had to do it but it was Saturday and Kara’s employees didn’t go to work.

“Hah, I haven’t seen your ass since I was seven,” Kara commented and Sam felt the room getting hotter. “Clearly puberty hit you like a truck, Sammy.”

“Just shut up, Kara,” Sam scolded, trying not to flip over and kill her younger friend. Kara had always been a teasing one, while she never teased her own sister, Sam was forever her target.

“Oh, come on, Sam,” Kara continued as she dabbed something cold around the bite, making Sam wince. “It’s a compliment. Sam used to be a shy kid.”

“Really?” Lena’s tone sounded amused. Sam shut her eyes, smashing her forehead onto the table. “I can’t imagine that.”

Kara laughed as she went on cleaning the wound. The cold and fresh sensation helped ease down the pain and Sam let out a relieved sigh. “Would it leave a scar?”

“I don’t know. Gotta look through all this blood,” the vet answered, dabbing a few more times.

“What? It bleeds?” Sam shrieked and pushed herself up but a force kept her down.

“Hold still, I’ll see if it needs stitches.”

“Stitches?” Sam squirmed under the force, feeling every inch of her body cold. “No stitches!”

“Easy there,” Lena’s soothing voice calmed her down immediately and the dog-sitter appeared in Sam’s sight. “Kara was messing with you. It doesn’t bleed.” Lena crouched down so that their eyes would meet. Sam throat twisted into a knot when deep green eyes stared into hers at a close distance.

She gulped and nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

“Lena, you’re no fun,” Kara half-heartedly complained, leaving the table to get something off the counter. Sam’s eyes went wide when she spotted a needle.

“What are you doing?” she asked, frozen on the table.

“I’m going to bandage your ass so that it can still get the ladies, Sam,” the vet snickered. Sam was still nervous.

“Then what’s the needle for?”

“A tetanus booster. I know for sure that your last immunization was over five years ago,” Kara answered calmly, “an immune shot.”

Hearing the last word, Sam immediately disagreed, “I don’t need an immune shot. Just bandage it and I’ll be fine.”

“Sam,” Lena spoke softly, drawing her attention again to her eyes, “we have to make sure that the bite wouldn’t get worse. It’s recommended by many medical professionals to take an immune shot after getting bitten.”

“She’s right,” Kara backed Lena up, had already finished applying antibiotic ointment and sealing the wound under a layer of bandages. “It’s necessary.”

“No, I don’t need it! Please!” Sam started to cry. She knew it was immature and weird but she couldn’t help it. “Don’t.”

Lena’s hands cupped her cheeks and the thumbs wiped away the fearful tears, “Sam, are you afraid of needles?” She sniffed and nodded. “It’s okay, I’m right here. Hold my hands.”

Sam gripped tightly the black-haired woman’s tender hands, keeping eye contact as she felt the sharp pain of the needle going through her skin. She shut her eyes in fear and in the next second, her nose was filled with the aroma from Lena’s hair. The dog-sitter embraced her dearly, sending her the safe feeling. For a moment, Sam forgot about the scary needle on her butt.

 

 

___________________________________

 

 

“You can’t sit for two hours?” Alex paused chewing on the donut to asked, “Was that why Lena brought you home?”

“What else?” Sam rolled her eyes and shifted on the sofa on which she had been lying on for over an hour. “I couldn’t believe she saw my ass like this.”

Alex laughed like a maniac and Sam threw her a heated glare. “I’m really sorry but this is just too funny. I didn’t expect your date to end up like this.”

“It wasn’t a date. More like a walk for Rufus,” Sam replied, eyeing the said Doberman, who hadn’t left her side ever since they came home.

“But hey, maybe she liked what she saw,” Alex moved finished up the donut and sipped her tea.

“Definitely not. Also now she knows I’m afraid of needles. So…” she trailed off, rubbing her eyes.

“So you called me and let Lena leave, right?” Alex finished her friend’s sentence knowingly, “She seemed worried about you.”

“I cried in front of her, Al,” Sam sighed, “Like a baby.”

“Aw,” her friend walked over and sat next to Sam, “I doubt she minded it. And look on the bright side, if she does mind, you wouldn’t have to be worried about liking her anymore.”

_It’s too late._

“The only bright side is that I get to take Monday off. Can you tell Gina that for me?” Sam looked away and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

Alex gave her a sympathetic look. “Sure. But listen, I think Lena does care.”

“About Rufus, because it’s her job,” Sam responded, not turning around.

“I’m talking about you, Sammy.”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s not interested. She said so.”

Sam closed her eyes, catching Alex’s sigh before slowly drifting into sleep.

 

 

_______________________________

 

 

Sam winced when she turned over on the bed. The bite wound from yesterday still ached like a bitch. She was able to walk again, slowly, and did her everyday tasks even slower.

When Sam was in the kitchen cleaning up her breakfast, there was a ring at the door. Rufus barked and ran to it. She took a deep breath and stepped cautiously towards the entrance, wondering who could have been on the other side.

“Hey, good morning,” Lena greeted her with a grin, “How are you feeling?”

Sam was pretty much surprised by the sudden visit and could only mutter, “I’m...good. And good morning.”

Rufus walked past her to nudge Lena’s legs, the black-haired woman rubbed the dog’s head kindly, giving him a little treat from the package she was carrying. “Morning, Rufus.”

Sam cleared her throat, “Did you forget anything?”

“Hmm?” Lena looked up again and shook her head, “No. I’m here to fulfill my promise.”

“Your promise?” Sam was dumbfounded, trying to figure out what the other woman meant.

“I said I would dog-sit Rufus for free any given day, remember?” Lena smirked, “Don’t tell me you forget.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

“Of course, I would. Also, I want to help you with other tasks too, since you protected both Rufus and me yesterday.” A grateful smile took over her lips.

“Oh, it was nothing,” Sam said even though her guts were jumping inside, “Everyone would do the same.” Sam stepped aside to leave the door open for Lena.

The dog-sitter entered the house, a smile twinkling in her eyes as she walked past Sam. “And you did. You’re our hero.” The familiar scene of Lena’s shampoo added the effect to what Lena had just said.

Sam’s heart did a backflip as Rufus followed inside the house, tail wagging wildly like the thundering heartbeat inside her chest.

_How can I not fall for you now?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments below! I'll return pretty late after this chapter.
> 
> Hope you liked it!


	3. Wait for it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam asked Lena out. Lena refused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, it's been a really long time. I got my writer's block for this story but now things are ok. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Sam silently sat in her chair, trying to focus on the newspaper in her hands instead of the Doberman hushing left and right constantly, urging for his food. The dog wasn’t what distracted her, but the woman who was feeding him. She let her eyes trail along the way Lena’s back bent down to pour Rufus his meal and lingered a bit before snapping out of it and pushed her sight back on the paper on the column about a cat finding his way home after 3 months of reported missing.

 

“I hope you like your breakfast, Miss Arias,” said Lena when she sat down on the other side of the table, “I found some food in your fridge and thought maybe you’d like a warm meal.”

 

“I do,” she answered with a smile and set the newspaper aside.

 

“Then why haven’t you started eating?” Lena gestured the plate with warm poached eggs and toast, a steamy cup of coffee right next to it.

 

“I’m waiting for you to join me.” Sam invited, picking up the fork. In the corner of her eyes, Rufus was digging through his bowl. “He already started without us. Rude.”

 

Lena shrugged and smiled. Sam liked the way the sun painted on Lena’s hair like spraying pixie dust on her, making the dark and fluffy mane glow. _Good Lord, this isn’t fair._ “I’m sure he’s grateful for what you did for him.”

 

Sam spared Rufus a look and caught the dog’s butt wiggling after every lick and bite. She made a face at Lena. “Really?”

 

“I know I am,” Lena said and then pointed at the bottle of salt on the table. “Can you pass me that?”

 

Sam ignored the sizzle in the lower abdomen, reaching out to the salt, handing it to Lena. The warmth from the other girl’s hand burned the flame brighter but Sam only offered a smile before continuing her breakfast without any further word.

 

Despite Lena’s insisting offer, Sam didn’t let her wash the dishes alone. They stood side by side and wordlessly cleaned every plate.

 

“I was surprised you came,” she started when Lena dried her hands.

 

The black-haired girl shyly smiled. “I didn’t think I’d come. After everything that had happened, especially in the pet clinic, I thought you wouldn’t want to see me again.”

 

 _That is half of the truth._ “Ah, that was still embarrassing.” Lena laughed and Sam did along with her. She turned around and leaned her back against the sink. “Not how I picture anyone seeing my butt.”

 

The laughter got louder before it died down on Lena’s end with a blush on her cheeks. “Is that a thing you usually picture, Miss Arias?”

 

“Sam,” she reminded Lena, “call me Sam.”

 

“ _Sam_ , are you usually wondering about the circumstances of how a person would see your butt?” Lena repeated the question with the teasing in her voice. Perhaps she didn’t realize Lena also existed in one of those fantasies.

 

“I don’t spend a lot of time on it,” Sam made her voice display obviousness before adding, “only on special occasions.”

 

Lena’s green eyes found her. Sam saw the gleam of interest in it but before Lena said anything, Rufus beat her to it. He called out to them and rushing to the front door. “Looks like the big guy wants to go out.”

 

Sam strolled to the place she always put the leash and picked up the hat. “Shall we?”

  
  
  


_____________________________________

  
  
  


They found the park quickly after. Lena let Rufus run while they were both sitting down on the bench under a huge tree. Sam still had trouble walking due to the shot and she tried to not limping but she was grateful that Lena suggested them to have a seat.

 

“Have you always been dreaming about being a dentist?” asked Lena, stretching her legs.

 

Sam grinned and contemplated to give a joke. “No. I wanted to be a cowgirl.”

 

Lena’s eyes opened wide. “Interesting. Why aren’t you a cowgirl now?”

 

“Well, I tried to ride the rodeo once and got knocked off it after fifteen seconds. That was when I decided I should play safe.” Sam arched her back and leaned against the backrest of the bench.

 

“Being a dentist is playing safe?” The question sounded less teasing, earning a smirk on Sam’s lips.

 

She turned to the woman and answered, “Yes, I just find pretty smiles charming.”

 

The corner of Lena’s mouth curved up in amusement. “That sounds… poetic. Definitely not something I’d say to describe a dentist.”

 

Sam made a tilt of her head. “What would you describe a dentist then? Describe me? I’d love to hear that.”

 

The wind blew across their seat, bringing a few strands of Lena’s hair to hug her face, creating a better vision of the curve around her full lips. Sam caught herself staring at them when Lena spoke. “I don’t know. Probably nothing you haven’t heard.”

 

Her eyes flickered up to Lena’s eyes. “Try me.”

 

Lena hummed, “The Dentist Who Is Afraid Of Needles?”

 

The reminder of the embarrassing event made Sam blush but not angry. Instead, she felt intrigued by the affectionate tone Lena made. “Am I? Fancy.”

 

Lena snickered, joy twinkled in her eyes. “Sorry. That’s the first thing in my mind.”

 

Sam couldn’t help but tease her a bit. “So the first thought you have about me is me being punctured at the butt by a giant needle.”

 

The other girl bit her lip to conceal a grin and turned away. She tucked the strand of hair behind her ear, pulling Sam’s attention to her neck. Lena’s skin seemed so smooth. Sam bet it felt smooth as well.

 

The talk between them rolled on like they had known each other for a long time. Sam had never gotten casual and comfortable with someone so quickly. She didn’t even realize that until they finished the walk and returned home. Rufus joyfully ran around, excited that the leash had been taken off. Lena snickered at him, turning to Sam to suggest that they should have lunch.

 

Sam didn’t think much about how they both cooked egg noodles together, prepared the table, pouring wine, and having lunch. She didn’t think much when she told some jokes and Lena laughed so hard the almost drop the glass. Rufus yelped happily and snuggled at Sam’s leg, trying to join them.

 

She didn’t think much about how much of a date their time seemed.

 

At least, she didn’t think about that until the night came and Lena had to go. Sam didn’t want Lena to leave at all.

 

She had felt the familiar sensation of desire, but not coming from just under her skin, but also inside her chest. Sam was fully aware of it, because she had felt this a few times when she was with someone really special.

 

“Thank you for today,” Sam said when Lena took the jacket off the hanger and was about to leave. The day had gone so quickly, Sam barely noticed that it was already 7 p.m. Sam had offered pizza and movie at home, but Lena politely declined and excused herself.

 

“I just keep my promises,” Lena smiled, putting on the jacket. Sam quietly gritted her teeth, trying to keep herself together as she leaned against the door frame, waiting for Lena. Rufus was waving his tail, running around Lena excitedly. Sam adored this sight: seeing someone off, knowing she would meet them again. She could do this over and over, as long as she got to have this overwhelming sensation of joy deep in the roots of her heart. “How is your butt?”

 

Sam laughed, leaning left and right to demonstrate, “I’m fine. See? I’m tough.”

 

Lena snickered, shaking her head. “Yes, you are.” She crouched down and rubbed Rufus’s head. “Goodbye, boy. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Looking up at Sam, Lena flashed a smile. “Good night, Sam.”

 

Probably there was something in the way Lena said her name that Sam decided to leap. She blurted out the only that had been sitting on her mind. “Would you go out with me?”

 

Lena’s eyes rounded, surprised. She slowly stood up, still staring at Sam. “Um, about that… I can’t.”

 

“Why not?” Sam hid her sigh, propping up an encouraging smile, “Just dinner.” Lena shook her head shyly. “Coffee. Or not coffee. Water. Or not even water. Just standing and breathing air. I’m easy. Super easy.”

 

Lena narrowed her eyes, grinning. “Yeah, I heard.”

 

Sam made a face, “Heard what?”

 

“About you, Doctor Arias,” Lena gave an obvious look. “I know three women you went out with and I also know about your _charming_ reputation. So I don’t think it’s a great idea.”

 

The mention of the charm startled Sam, her tongue froze between the teeth. She was at loss of words for a few seconds before swallowing the knot in her throat to speak. “It’s just a rumor.”

 

“Women left lots of voicemails for you, Sam. I never meant to overhear but it was unavoidable. You don’t have to deny anything, it’s your life.” Lena shrugged, seemingly unimpressed. “It doesn’t matter, actually. I just got out of a relationship. It’s still fresh. I’m sorry.”

 

Sam blinked and turned away, putting one hand in the cotton pants pockets. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” She waved with the other then opened the door. “Good night, Lena.”

 

The brunette left after that with an apologetic smile on her face. Sam watched as Lena walked away toward the bus stop at the end of the road. Rufus wanted to run after her but Sam held him back and returned inside.

 

The Doberman seemed to get her mood. When she grabbed the popcorn and sat in front of the TV, watching a rerun of an old show, Rufus climbed on the couch, resting his head on her thigh. Sam scratched the dog’s head, right between his ears, and the Doberman groaned in satisfaction.

 

“You like it, huh, boy?” she mumbled with a smile. She had seen Lena doing this to Rufus a lot and it seemed like a good treatment.

 

The thought about Lena twisted something in her chest. Lena didn’t hesitate to reject her, and she had a good reason too. Sam frowned, staring blankly at the screen, not paying attention much. All she saw was the way Lena said _I don’t think it’s a great idea_ like it would be horrible to be with someone like Sam. But she couldn’t blame Lena. This reputation, she had created it on her own. Yes, Alex had suggested it, but it was Sam who hooked up with those women.

 

“That’s what I get for stop trying to find The One, Rufus,” she sadly added, slouching on the pillow. Rufus turned his head, looking up at her. His big brown eyes held the stare as if he was talking to her. “It _is_. If I didn’t shackle with those women, perhaps Lena would give me a chance.”

 

The dog tilted his head, tracing his tongue around the maul.

 

“You’re right. She still wouldn’t. She just got off a relationship.” Sam pouted at Rufus. “The universe is playing me.”

 

Rufus whined, crouching up higher and then rested right next to her. Sam chuckled, wrapping her arms around the dog, taking in the unusual scent of the dog shampoo. It smelled like fruits. “You’re like a warm, comfy, giant fruit cake, Rufus,” she whispered, then fell asleep.

  
  


_____________________________________

  
  
  


It was quite embarrassing when she opened the door that day to greet Lena again. Her neck was sore because of the sleeping position on the couch. Rufus didn’t leave her side until he heard the doorbell. Sam woke up and then got a whiplash because she realized she had been so late to work.

 

The morning rush actually helped her from the whole awkwardness she thought she would have to face Lena. The brunette seemed to brush off her invitation quickly and acted like nothing had happened. Sam was glad she did so but also felt the jab in her heart knowing that Lena really gave this zero chance.

 

“She really turned you down,” Alex commented after hearing the story. They had already finished their lunch and were waiting for the bill. Sam shrugged indifferently even though she would rather not hear the summary of the ache again. “Ouch.”

 

“I shouldn’t have asked. Now it got awkward between us,” Sam sighed, “No, actually just me.”

 

Alex gave her an apologetic smile from across the table. “Well, at least you don’t have to wonder about her anymore.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You have been thinking about what if this and that with Lena, but now the result is out. You can focus on the road ahead.”

 

Sam arched an eyebrow, glaring at her best friend. “You mean the road full of women who will use me to find their soulmates.”

 

Alex rolled her eyes. “Don’t think it that way. I know you, Sam. You are a good person, you always want to help.” She gestured the window, through which women could be seen walking by on the street. “Look at them. Just like you, they want to find someone. You’re just helping them. Consider it like a public service.”

 

Sam chuckled, “ _‘Public service’_? Are you nuts?”

 

“You provide them something they need. They give you what you need.”

 

Sam’s brows furrowed. She crossed her arms, “You know what I need?”

 

“Getting over this silly crush. Getting over the idea of a person only have one significant other for themselves.” Alex leaned over the table, excited. “Do you remember how many times you have come to me and said _she’s The One_ but she never was?”

 

“Yeah, thank you for the reminder,” Sam clicked her tongue and received the bill from the waitress.

 

“It dragged you down, girl. You can’t enjoy being single anymore if you keep saving up for The One. The One is probably humping someone right as we speak.”

 

Sam made a _yikes_ face at Alex, closing the bill tab and gave it back to the waitress, mouthing _sorry_. “I don’t need that image right now, Al.”

 

“Get used to it, Sammy, because you don’t need to find her. Let her come to you,” Alex said with a smug voice.

 

“Like Lena? Yeah, she runs for the hills right after she finds out about the women I’ve slept with,” Sam huffed.

 

“Then she isn’t The One,” Alex stood up, making an obvious face. “Because if she was, she wouldn’t let that stand in the way.”

 

Sam got up to follow Alex. They returned to the building soon after. When Sam walked through the waiting room, with women’s eyes following her hotly, she recalled what Alex had said about the situation.

 

_Public service._

 

Alex had a point, Sam wanted to help people, she had always done.

 

Sam never had her chance with Lena anyway, so what was the rush? Lena wasn’t The One.

 

Finding The One was a tough thing to do, and these women didn’t know which one would be correct. Admittedly, if Sam was one of them, perhaps she would do the same. Since she had the power to give them hope, why not using it?

 

If others can build houses, roads, heal people to contribute, then Samantha Arias could bring others hope. Even if it was just hooking up, she wouldn’t debate with herself much on the method.

  


___________________

  
  
  


Sam never brought up the declined invitation again. She didn’t come home much unless she had to see Lena off. The voicemails eventually filled up, from twenty to thirty, and now forty a day. She knew Lena probably heard them all during her day sitting Rufus, but she tried to put that past her.

 

It wasn’t really nice to think about Lena while making another woman moan from the top of her lungs. Sam might have used her urge around Lena to get it on with the women, but having Lena’s face around when she was fucking someone was such an insensitive thing, even if only she knew about that.

 

It had been quite a week for Sam. She felt like she was starring as the main character in a porn series, with the only purpose of fucking every woman in sight. It was even crazier than the last time. She couldn’t come home to do it because of Rufus - and of course, Lena - so she always did it wherever she could. From the janitor closet to the rooftop, from the backseat of the woman’s car to the counter of the kitchen.

 

It was also a chance for Sam to repolishing her sex stamina. Sam hadn’t thought she would be able to provide the ‘service’ to more than six women a day but she just needed to take a short nap before doing it all over again.

 

There had been some funny things that happened because of the positions, but besides that one time Sam almost had to call an ambulance because the other woman came so hard she had a terrible cramp, everything was fine.

 

Sam slowly got too tired to even think about sex around Lena, so their interactions were normal and she didn’t feel too awkward. Lena did her job well, and Rufus was happy. There was nothing to worry about.

 

Except for the part where she fantasized about Lena while shacking up with women.

 

Sam had thought it wouldn’t go that way, especially when Siobhan had returned and Rufus no longer lived with her. Lena’s job had finished, and the last day she dog-sat Rufus was two days ago.

 

 _“I’m glad that we meet again, Sam.”_ Lena had told her so when they said goodbye. Sam had jokingly teased with _‘I’d keep Rufus so we can keep on meeting’_ and earned some laughs from Lena.

 

When Sam sat alone on the couch that night without the weight of the Doberman on her thighs, she realized she hated the feeling. It was weird. She didn’t even like Rufus that much, but she didn’t notice how quiet the loneliness could be. Sam had never acknowledged that until now. And she needed to do something to fill in the blank.

 

There were fifty-two voicemails sent to her.

 

_Tsk, what the hell..._

  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  


Lena may have left Sam’s sight, but not Sam’s mind.

 

Such as right at this moment, Sam was pushing up the toy inside a redhead who had been moaning something in another language for about twenty minutes and all she could think about was Lena with red hair. Her grip on the woman’s ass tightened when she gave up and let her brain filled up with the image she had been trying to avoid for days.

 

When their hips finally detached, Sam immediately dropped to her back on the bed. The woman laid next to her, panting. They stayed still for a few minutes before the woman tapped on her shoulder, saying that she had done a good job. Then she got up and left. Her ears caught the sound of the door being closed clearly, and the entire house drown in silence once again,

 

Sam stayed on the bed since then. not even trying to move to put on some clothes because she didn’t want to walk around alone naked. She didn’t even get the toy off just yet, just staring up at the ceiling.

 

It was quiet. So quiet.

 

Sam didn’t understand why it always made her feel so lost every time another woman left her home satisfied, but she always took a part of Sam away. And when the door closed, she felt that void again.

 

The annoying barking, the sound of the giant four-leg creature running around were among the things that had gone into that void. Sam sighed, slowly sat up and walked into the shower. Her mind circled around the thought of driving to Siobhan’s home to visit Rufus, but then she scratched the idea off because she didn’t want her cousin to mock her over that.

 

It would be a bit painful to look at Rufus without seeing Lena around, to be honest, and she didn’t want to remind herself that it was over.

 

When Sam finally got downstairs after taking a shower, she noticed that the light on the phone was blinking. She pressed the receiving button and the machine announced that she had nearly seventy voicemails, winced, then walked past it and let the machine play the train of women’s voices. Not that she wanted to hear them, Sam just needed to have the sound of other people in the empty house rather than just her own voice.

 

It was lonely, so lonely.

 

Sam felt something missing, even though her life had more people come and go. Deep inside her heart, she wanted to see Rufus chewing his toy in the corner, with Lena sitting next to him, rubbing his head.

 

The television didn’t help her at all. Whenever she turned it on, the channel suddenly reached the animal planet, Sam thought of Rufus. And when she thought of Rufus, she realized how much she wanted to see Lena again.

 

 _“You got it bad.”_ Alex sounded tired on the other side, but nevertheless, she was right. _“It’s been almost three months, Sammy.”_

 

“I know, I know,” Sam sighed, brushing the free hand up and down on her face, “I can’t stop thinking about her. If she isn’t The One, why can’t I move on?”

 

A long sigh was heard. Sam expected her friend to be fed up with her constantly talking about Lena, but Alex’s reply surprised her. _“Do you want to try again?”_

 

“I don’t know. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing,” Sam admitted.

 

_“It’s definitely not a good thing for you to keep pining over her no matter what you do.”_

 

Sam hummed, agreed. She had tried her best to not pick up the phone and call Lena. There had no excuses for her to do so, and she was afraid of not being able to talk. “Then what do you suggest? Should I text her?”

 

_“Probably. Or calling her.”_

 

“Why do you sound so uncertain? Don’t you always have pick-up lines in your sleeves?”

 

 _“Yes, only for casual fun, not for serious fun.”_ Alex laughed out loud. _“Okay, I’m not convinced that she’s your The One - I don’t even believe in the concept of The One - but you are my best friend and I have to help you. Why don’t you ask Kara?”_

 

Sam sat straighter on the couch. “Oh, right. Kara introduced Lena to me. Why didn’t I think of this? That’s brilliant! Thank you, Al!”

 

_“You’re welcome, dumbass. Seriously, I thought you were smarter than this. But if it doesn’t work, you can always go back to the women in need.”_

  


____________________

  
  


Thanked to Kara, Sam learned something about Lena. She wasn’t always a dogsitter. Sometimes Lena worked at a shelter that usually brought abandoned animals to Kara’s clinic. Sam had been given the address and she was now standing in front of the gates, hesitating at the entrance.

 

Sam wanted to see Lena again, but she felt like she might have intruded something. If Lena wanted to tell her about the shelter, she would have done it. Sam didn’t come empty-handed, though.

 

“Excuse me, Miss, are you looking for something?”

 

Sam turned around when she heard the voice. Standing in front of her was an old lady who was smiling at her. Sam noticed that the woman had a small dog in her arms. “Um, I am. Is this ARFA, the animal shelter?”

 

“Oh, yes. Please come in.” The old lady unlocked the gates and walked in. “I’m bringing Francis here every day to hang out with other dogs.”

 

Sam quietly followed the woman and entered a small office. The walls were painted in the light blue color to imitate the sky, green color to create the grass, white circles as clouds. It made her think of a kindergarten, but with animals, not children.

 

“Mrs. Paulson, Francis, welcome back!” The man sitting behind the wooden desk stood up to greet the old lady. He tilted to a side and grinning at Sam. “Hi, please come closer, Miss.”

 

Mrs. Paulson brought Francis along the hall, waving over her shoulder. Sam came to the desk and placed her hands on it awkwardly, “Hello, I would like to ask about the Funday Project.”

 

The employee gasped in joy. “Of course! What do you want to know?”

 

Sam fished out the folded poster that she had gotten from Kara’s clinic and spread it on the desk. “I saw this and wondered if there is still a slot for me to join.”

 

“Absolutely! Here we have a lot of volunteers already, but we always welcome new ones.” He placed a sheet on the desk, right next to the poster. “Please fill in this file and I’ll tell you the next steps.”

 

Sam sat down in the office, scribbling on the paper the answers to the general questions about a person’s habit and their love for animals. She winced every time it asked her if she was going to get a pet one day. Sam didn’t really think about that until Rufus, but even though she liked the dog, she couldn’t just bring a pet home.

 

**_Do you have a partner who loves pet?_ **

 

The pen froze above the question for a moment before Sam ticked **_no_ **. She didn’t need a reminder that a partner was her dream, but not her reality.

 

The employee read the file for a few minutes and led Sam along the facility. He explained about the Project and how things worked. It was an idea of many animal/pet lovers. They wanted to have space and time for the animals to hang out with each other, along with abandoned ones. Anyone who loved to help was welcomed.

 

Sam knew Rufus used to be an abandoned dog, and Siobhan had taken him home. Admittedly, she came here to meet Lena, but besides that, she wanted to show the abandoned animals some love. If Sam couldn’t do what Siobhan had done, then at least she could soothe the poor creatures.

 

Sam had expected to be put in a garden full of dogs because she had answered a lot of questions about that particular type of animal, but instead, she was brought to a small room with a few people already inside. They welcomed her and then she was told that her task for the day was cleaning the cages.

 

She did not meet Lena that Sunday.

 

Or the next. Sam had learned how to properly clean a birdcage. Everyone around her was impressed that somehow the oldest parrot of the shelter could say Sam’s name but not others’.

 

Or the next. Sam got to bathe a kitten. Mr. Jacuzzi didn’t leave her arms for the rest of the afternoon. She had to eat with one hand but she wasn’t upset.

 

Sam still went to the shelter every Sunday to receive the tasks, even though the main reason for her to be there didn’t come as she had hoped, but Sam finally felt less lonely. She actually liked being with the animals rather than staying home alone.

 

And the hooking up was soon forgotten. Women still sent her messages but Sam barely paid attention anymore.

  
  


___________________________________

  
  
  


When Sam expected Lena the least, the woman came into her life again.

 

Sam was humming a song while hanging up the blankets for the animals to dry them out. She didn’t know someone was approaching her until she heard someone clearing their throat. Sam turned around and saw a smiling Lena. The brunette was still wearing the usual T-shirt and shorts, and Sam’s heart still made the usual flip.

 

“Hey,” Sam breathed out, surprised. “It’s you.”

 

Lena nodded, “Yes, it’s me. And it’s you, too. What are you doing here?”

 

Sam wiped her wet hands on her pants, grinning as she gestured the basket of laundry. “Just helping out.”

 

“I saw your name on the volunteer list,” Lena gave her a look. If Sam didn’t fool herself, Lena seemed impressed. “I’ve volunteered here for years. How come we haven’t met?” The green eyes narrowed playfully. “Is it another coincidence that we meet again, Miss Arias?”

 

“Nope,” Sam laughed, continued picking up another blanket to hang it up. “You got me. I knew that you might be here. So here I am.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I was stalking you.” Sam winked at Lena, teasing her. The brunette looked stunned for a moment then realized Sam was playing and shoved her shoulder. “Ouch!”

 

“Shut up, it wasn’t that harsh. Seriously, why are you here?” Lena giggled, taking a blanket and hung it right on the string next to Sam.

 

“I want to see you again,” Sam admitted with a smirk, “I hope that doesn’t creep you out.”

 

Lena’s cheeks brightened under the sun. She stepped away from Sam, making a face. “A little.”

 

The only thing Sam could do at the moment was grinning. “Sorry. I promise you that I mean no harm. Just trying to spend some more time with you.”

 

“But I wasn’t here the last month.”

 

“No, you weren’t.”

 

“Yet you’re still around and helping.” Lena flashed her a smile. “Thank you.”

 

Sam took the last blanket to hang and playfully lowered her voice, “For being a stalker?”

 

“For being a helpful stalker,” Lena teased back, then both of their mouths split into a wide grin.

 

It turned out that Lena had been sitting her aunt’s dogs in Metropolis for the past month, therefore she couldn’t come to the shelter. Lena shared that when they came to the cafeteria for lunch. Joining them were many volunteers that Sam had gotten acquainted. They always knew Lena, and everyone quickly got into a friendly conversation.

 

Sam didn’t contribute much to the talk because every person sitting at the table owned a pet except for Lena and her. It surprised Sam that Lena actually didn’t have a dog. She had thought the woman loved dogs so much, she must have had one. Lena later then explained that she was so busy, and she was sharing a room with a friend, so she couldn’t get a pet of her own yet.

 

“If I had a house like yours, I’d get three dogs.” Lena scandalously said so when they left the shelter later that day. Sam took in the afternoon breeze, taking the stroll next to Lena slowly. She didn’t know if she would have another chance to do this anymore.

 

“I’d get three dogs so you’d watch a movie with me,” Sam cheekily responded and received a soft glare from Lena. “Half a movie. Just the opening and the credits.” She snickered as she gave the last offer, “Just standing in front of the cinema. Please.”

 

Lena twisted her mouth to a side, amused. “I can’t help but wonder why you want to go out with me so much.”

 

Sam stepped quicker to pause in front of Lena. “Could it be that I really like you?” That earned a laugh from the green-eyed woman. “What?”

 

“Nothing. I didn’t expect you would say something so forward.”

 

Sam crossed her arms, moving aside to give Lena a path. “Well, it’s true.”

 

Lena threw her a glance. “I take things seriously, Sam. I’m not the type that goes around with many people and doesn’t think much about it.”

 

Sam bit her lips, nodding. “Alright. Then we can just be friends. We can go out as friends.” She encouragingly spread her arms. “You can sit twenty seats away from me if you want.”

 

Lena thought for a moment, then finally took a deep breath to answer. “Just as friends?”

 

“Yes,” Sam replied, then adding a little tease, “unless you find me undeniably attractive, then you can just tell me and we’ll take it another level.”

 

“You are one cocky lady. Do you know that?” Lena glared at her, but her lips curved up into a smile. “It would reduce the chance for me to like you.”

 

“So you _do_ like me,” Sam sent Lena a knowing look.

 

“Probably. But you have a competition,” the shorter woman giggled, shoving her hand into the bag and pulled out a small book. She showed Sam the back cover.

 

Sam took it and observed the face of the person on the cover. It was a man, a good-looking man with a great beard and dreamy eyes. “Are you into beards? I can’t grow one but I can totally stick something on my face.”

 

Lena laughed out loud, shaking her head. “Jack Spheer is a great animal trainer. His journey of helping an orphan snow leopard made me cry. I like many things about him, not just the beard.”

 

Sam shrugged, giving Lena back the book. “Tough competition. I can do free root canals for you for life. How’s that?”

 

Lena laughed again. Sam loved the joyful sound coming out of the pretty lips. She tried not to pay too much attention to how beautiful Lena was because if Lena just wanted to be friends, then she should respect that. “You’re such a fun person to be around,” Lena commented afterward.

 

“Then let me be around you more,” Sam clasped her hands together, pouting against the fingertips, “Pur-wease...”

 

The shorter woman grinned, raising a finger. “One date.” As if she thought Sam would forget, Lena quickly added. “As friends.”

 

Sam knew it didn’t mean anything just yet, but her heart floated in her chest so high she couldn’t care less.

 

When Sam came home that day, the answering machine told her that she had one hundred and fifteen voicemails. She pushed the delete button before the beep even began to echo inside the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews, reviews!


	4. Emergency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam got the date. Things escalated nicely. And then not so nicely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while yall! I'm back!
> 
> Hopefully not that many of you guys have to reread the fic to know where it has been paused :))

Sam didn’t feel so nervous the night before the date. She didn’t even think about taking a shower two hours before getting out of the house. It only occurred to her that she was going to have an important night with an important girl only when she was halfway through putting on her shoes.

 

Not worrying much about a date was something Sam usually did to shoo the nervousness away. If she lost her confidence around a date, she would screw up badly. Sam had had a bad experience about it and she didn’t plan to repeat the shameful moment anytime soon.

 

Yet, Sam’s hands became hot and sticky as she parked the car outside the arena where Lena lived. She turned up the conditioner, waving her hands at her neck. She should not be drenched in sweats before Lena even saw her.

 

_ It’s just a friendly date. Nothing to worry about. _

 

She replayed the phrases like a mantra in her brain when she stepped out of the vehicle. Crouching down to check her face in the rear mirror, Sam sighed out in relief that she had brushed her teeth. It would be embarrassing if Lena burst out laughing when she saw something in Sam’s teeth.

 

She looked down at her own outfit: a white shirt with the hem tucked in the tight ripped jeans, a light brown belt, and a pair of gray sneakers. She had thought about wearing a dress, but she felt it might be considered as ‘dressing up’ and she didn’t want that. People only dressed up for dates.

 

This wasn’t a date.

 

Not officially, at least.

 

It wasn’t a date for Lena, but Sam still cherished it as she did to a real date. Who knew, they might never do this again. This was her only chance to leave a good memory in Lena.

 

Sam pressed the doorbell, waiting. The speaker replied  _ just a minute  _ in Lena’s voice. She took a few steps back and observed the surroundings. The apartment seemed old but stable. It was a quiet neighborhood, Sam could even hear the birds chirping in the air. She enjoyed the stillness; it made her feel calm.

 

The door opened to reveal Lena. In a dress. A white, elegant, above the knees dress.

 

Sam heard her own gasp echoing in her throat like a pig. She just snorted right in front of Lena! Embarrassed, she coughed out to bring her hand up and cover her mouth.

 

“Hi,” Lena spoke first, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, “you’re on time.”

 

Sam pretended that Lena didn’t mention the snort from a few seconds ago to save her from the humiliation and she appreciated that so much. She put a smile on. “Hey, yeah. I don’t want us to be late.” Her hand scratched the nape of her neck awkwardly without any intention. “You look stunning.”

 

“Thanks,” Lena closed the door behind and darted her eyes up and down at Sam. “I can say the same about you, Doctor.”

 

Sam laughed, gesturing the car, “Shall we go?”

 

They got on the road soon enough. Sam had wanted to open the car door for Lena but she wondered if the gestured was seen as romantic so she only pulled the handle, then walked around to the driver’s seat, letting Lena close it. They were friends. Friends didn’t do chivalrous acts to each other.

 

The atmosphere was quiet for a few first minutes before Lena broke the ice with a question about their night.

 

“You asked me about my favorite type of movie. Are going to the cinema?”

 

“Not exactly,” Sam answered with mirth, “I suppose the cinema would betray the purpose of tonight, but I really want to enjoy a comedy with you, so I think an outdoor theater would be neat.”

 

Lena made an understanding  _ ah _ then chuckled, “What do you mean ‘betray the purpose of tonight’?”

 

“This is a date, right?” Sam gave Lena a glance, “Between friends. That’s why I have to make it as friendly as possible.”

 

Lena smirked, crossing her arms. “Samantha, you’re afraid I would take tonight wrongly, aren’t you? Let me remind you that you were the one who wanted to ask me out.”

 

“And you were the one who friend-zoned me,” Sam cheekily countered, pushing the real stab from her own words away from her chest. “That ship is sailed, Lena. Now we’re just friends. Platonic friends. No love in the air.”

 

The black-haired girl snickered, shaking her head. “Okay,  _ platonic friends _ , where are we going?”

 

“First, we get some food.”

  
  
  
  


___________________

  
  
  
  
  


Sam choked on the Coke when the scene unfolded on the giant projector screen and coughed along with some laughs. Lena grinned widely on the other seat, pulling a tissue from her purse to give Sam.

 

Her throat was burning with the sweetness and her face was hot, but Sam couldn’t stop laughing. “Sorry,” she muttered, wiping her eyes after a few minutes, “that was hilarious.”

 

“It’s okay. I’m glad you enjoy the movie.” Lena picked another piece of fries and bit it, “I’d die if that happens to me.”

 

“Choking on the Coke on a date or stripping your neighbor naked?” Sam preferenced the scene from before with the real event, conveniently brushing off the second embarrassing thing she had done in the night.

 

“Definitely the latter,” Lena crossed her legs, leaning to the left side of the seat. “choking on drinks happens to me all the time.”

 

“You don’t look like the clumsy type,” Sam commented.

 

Lena made an obvious face, “Oh, you wouldn’t say so if you see me in high school. I was elected to be  _ the most to trip on her way down the aisle _ .”

 

“No way!”

 

“Way. I stumbled onto the stage in graduation day, fell on my ass during a swimming competition, hooked my feet at the door to the hall… I think gravity is trying to tell me something.” Lena smiled, rubbing her knees with a blush on the cheeks. “That’s why I haven’t tried to ride a bike.”

 

Sam swallowed the last bit of fried fish into her mouth and gasped, “No way. You don’t know how to ride a bike?”

 

Lena shook her head, “No. Is that weird?”

 

“Not really,” Sam snickered, “but I know what we should do on our next date.”

 

“Are you sure that we would have another date?” Lena arched an eyebrow teasingly.

 

“Why not? I like hanging out with you,” Sam gently shoved Lena’s shoulder. “If you want, we can sometimes do this again.”

 

Lena hummed, “Let me think.” Sam waited for the beat to drop. “Sure, why not?”

 

Couldn’t help grinning, Sam pulled out her phone, tapping furiously. When she put it away, she received a curious look from Lena. “What?”

 

“What were you doing?” Lena asked.

 

“I was clearing my schedule. Now I’m free from today till the end of the year,” Sam declared with joy, “I’m all yours. Platonically.”

 

Lena burst out laughing and shoved Sam slightly. Sam’s grin matched with hers, feeling content that Lena knew she was joking. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t cancel everything for that hypothetical second friendly date.

 

The movie was slowly forgotten as they both drifted into a conversation about their lives. Sam patiently listened to Lena telling her about the first time she touched a dog with wide eyes. She didn’t pay much attention to pets before because she craved human interactions rather than animals. It wasn’t something bothering her until recently when she had the time to be around a lot of stray animals and seeing how much they always wanted love.

 

Just like her.

 

“...I knew at that moment, I had to be someone who works with animals.” Lena ended her story with a smile, then she blushed and scratched her neck. “I’m sorry. I went on and on about myself. That was impolite.”

 

“No, no, no, I want to hear it,” Sam encouraged, propping an arm on the seat that had been bent down to almost the lying position. Both Sam and Lena had turned the seats so because they didn’t pay attention to the movie anymore. “I want to learn more about you.”

 

“Like the twenty questions game?” Lena retorted teasingly, “The classic icebreaker?”

 

“Do we even have ice to break anymore?” Sam noted with a smirk, “I mean, you are my fake girlfriend.”

 

Lena laughed, adding, “For a day.”

 

“A day counts.” Sam tucked one arm under her head. “Do we play?”

 

“Twenty Question? Sure, why not? We take turns to ask one question.” Lena copied the gestured. Her black hair flowed around her neck, sliding through her fingers like some really confident strokes of a skilled artist. Sam was mesmerized. “I go first: what is your favorite season of the year?

 

“Autumn.”

 

“Why?”

 

Sam grinned, “Nuh uh, my turn. Have you ever had a broken arm or leg?”

 

Lena sent her a weird look. “That’s a random topic.”

 

“You told me about your slippery feet so I just thought it’d make sense.”

 

“Well, fortunately, despite my constant conflict with gravity, I have never had a broken bone,” Lena proudly claimed, “It’s really weird if I think about it. Okay, Why autumn?”

 

Sam hummed and chuckled, “My reason isn’t big or meaningful. I just really like walking in a thick jacket along the way while leaves are falling.”

 

Lena arched an eyebrow. “Someone’s romantic. I didn’t see that coming.”

 

“You thought I was not romantic?” Sam pretended to be offended.

 

“Not really. It never really came into my mind.” Lena smirked, “Are you the kind of girl who would show up at her girlfriend’s workplace with a bunch of flowers and balloons?”

 

Sam laughed. “I actually haven’t done that.  _ But _ I have sent chocolate. Or lunch. Or both. It depends on the woman I’m dating.”

 

The grin on Lena’s lips melted a bit. “Have you been in love?”

 

Sam kept the smile on, “Isn’t it my turn to ask?”

 

“No, you already asked me if I thought you weren’t romantic.”

 

_ She’s good. _ Sam sighed out, “I have dated a lot of women.” Taking a pause, she added, “And I thought I was in love that many times.”

 

Their eyes held for a moment before Lena broke the silence. “I’m not judging you. If I make you uncomfortable, I’m sorry.”

 

“No, you don’t. In fact, I’m glad you brought it up.” Sam proceeded to tell Lena about the rumor and how it started on its own without Sam’s intentions.

 

Lena listened to every word with visible focus. When Sam finished, she only smiled and said, “There are people believing in the rumor?”

 

“I guess so,” Sam shrugged indifferently. “Do you?”

 

“People believe what they want to believe,” Lena concluded.

 

Sam countered with, “And you? Have you been with many people?”

 

Lena told her about her flings in school, the lovers she had, and the most recent was the most serious. They had dated for three years before Lena suggesting a steady life together and her girlfriend admitted she wasn’t ready for commitment. Ever.

 

“I should have seen it coming miles away,” Lena said eventually, sighing out a sad smile. “I’m sorry for bringing that up. It was a downer.”

 

Sam supposed she could make Lena feel better by changing the subject. “Let’s talk about animals. What is your favorite animal? And no dogs.”

 

Lena whined, “That’s mean. Ugh, fine. Otter is my second favorite animal.”

 

“Can you explain why?” Sam grinned. “Is it because they’re adorable?”

 

“Is that a question I hear?” Lena cheekily countered.

 

“A suggestion.”

 

Lena took a breath, the blush returned to her cheeks. “They are very affectionate to each other. Do you know that otters would hold each other’s hand while sleeping so they wouldn’t drift away?” Sam couldn’t help making an  _ aw _ sound, putting a hand on her chest. “I know, right? And with little baby otters, their hands are too small to hold, they would ride on their moms. Can you imagine how cute that is?” Lena’s hands balled up, shaking slightly as they pressed against her mouth. The joy in Lena’s eyes radiated in her soundless chuckle, echoing into Sam’s chest. It warmed up something in her, something she had tried to push away for the night’s sake.

 

The warmth stayed there even after the movie. Even when she had driven the car out of the parking lot and to the port. Lena told her about a great ice cream stand and that she had to try. Getting another hour to be with Lena, of course, Sam couldn’t say no. Not that she would want to refuse any suggestion from Lena.

 

The wind blew not as strong as usual tonight. It brushed over them, flicking at Lena’s hair, curling the tips around her fine features. Sam had given Lena her jacket because the night had gone a bit colder, and even with the initial hesitation, Lena took it eventually.

 

“The sleeves are too long for you, eh?” Sam noticed as they walked to the ice cream stand. “Let me help you.” She gestured Lena’s arms.

 

The shorter woman lifted her elbow, letting Sam roll up the sleeves. “Thank you,” she said when Sam was done with one arm. She lifted the other.

 

As Sam rolled the sleeve up, she spotted a tiny scar on Lena’s forearm. “Let me guess, this might relate to your constant tripping at school?”

 

Lena’s eyes widened. “How do you know?”

 

“Lucky guess,” Sam laughed, making a way for Lena to continue walking. “Was it painful?”

 

“No. As you see, it was a really small scar.” Lena pointed at the white line on her skin. “I don’t have many scars. I was a tamed kid.”

 

“I wasn’t,” Sam admitted with a wince, “There was one time I fooled around with the kitchen knife and ended up stabbing my own thigh.”

 

Lena made a face. “Ouch. What happened next?”

 

“I called the ambulance on my own.”

 

“What?” Lena gasped, “How were you so calm?”

 

Sam snickered, “I was mostly afraid of my mom finding out so I took care of everything myself. Poor my babysitter, though. She freaked out, thinking I accidentally killed myself. Couldn’t blame her. She found me drenched in blood.”

 

Lena chuckled, shaking her head. “Your childhood was wild. How old were you then?”

 

“I was about seven.” Sam looked around and saw the ice cream stand. “Is it the one?” Lena nodded and they stood in line.

 

Sam bought two cones for each and continued walking with Lena along the porch. The lights were on, the colors trailed along the beach, marking spots of people sitting on the bench, enjoying their time together. She smiled to herself, stepping on the floating sensation under her feet.

 

“Thank you for taking me out tonight,” Lena said to her, “I haven’t done this for a long time.”

 

“This? Friendly dating?” Sam teased, bumping Lena’s shoulder.

 

Lena rolled her eyes, smiling. “Yes, friendly dating. I’m sure you do it a lot.”

 

“Friendly dating, or really dating?”

 

“Really dating.”

 

“I haven’t been on a date for a while,” Sam admitted, half-way through her ice cream. When Lena gave her an unconvinced look, she added, “It’s true. I usually meet new people at the bar, and if we get along, we hang out at that very bar. Or going to a movie. I don’t plan out what to do or get nervous before that.”

 

Lena walked for a few steps and asked, “Did you plan out tonight or get nervous?”

 

Sam looked away to hide her heated cheeks. “Would it be really weird if I did?”

 

“Absolutely not,” Lena encouraged, “I might have a fair share of worries myself, considering I haven’t been on a date for a year.”

 

The declaration in Lena’s words made Sam smirk. “So this  _ is _ a date to you.”

 

The short woman mouthed a gasp, then a blush quickly took place on her cheeks. “Maybe…”

 

“I thought you would say something like  _ but it’s a date between friends _ .” Sam finished the ice cream and threw the tissue into a trash can. “I’m cool with it, you know, that you decide to give me a chance.”

 

“Who says I’m giving you a cha-?” Lena grinned playfully, but before she got to finish the sentence, she tripped on something and Sam’s first reflex was gripping around Lena, keeping her from falling.

 

The sudden closeness made Sam’s heart pause for a moment. It made her recall how she had held Lena in their first meet, then in her bathroom. The warmth was still the same, but the beating inside her chest had increased incredibly more than ever. The fact that Lena’s face was right below Sam and how her hands clung onto Sam’s shirt only built more pressure in Sam’s lower groin, and she had to look away from the bright green eyes.

 

Sam helped Lena regain the balance, reluctantly letting go of her arm. “Are you okay? Oh, your ice cream.”

 

They both looked down on the ground, where Lena’s half-eaten cone poked on the surface. Lena’s face brightened up with the pink color on her pale skin. She stammered with her face down, “I-I’m good. Sorry for that.”

 

“Hey,” Sam leaned to a side and crouched a little to meet Lena’s eyes, slowly letting go of the other woman. “It’s okay. I’m glad I was here to catch you.”

 

“Thanks.” Lena’s ears were still burning up.

 

Sam stepped back to give Lena some space. “You really don’t have to prove to be clumsy. I trust you,” she teased and received a slight punch on the shoulder. “Ouch. Where were we?”

 

Lena finally looked up at her. “I was saying who said I was giving you a chance.”

 

“Were you?”

 

Green eyes narrowed. “Still thinking about it.”

 

“Be careful,” Sam grinned, “The last time you said so, you tripped. Maybe the universe is telling you something. You were lying about not giving me a chance, right?”

 

“No way. You are so superstitious,” Lena laughed but looking down at her feet to check. “I only believe it if something bigger happens.”

 

“Okay,” Sam looked up at the sky, shouting, “Hey, Miss Universe!”

 

“What are you doing?” Lena asked through her cackling. “Shut up!”

 

Sam didn’t lower her voice even though the people around them were staring. “Please do something. Lena doesn’t believe in you.”

 

“Shhh,” Lena tried to cover her mouth, “You’re such an idiot.”

 

Sam winked at the girl in the dress. “Really? Then I dare you saying you’re really not giving me a chance.”

 

Lena huffed, crossing her arms. “Fine. I’m not giving you a chance. Never ever.”

 

They stood still for a moment before Sam had to look up at the sky again. “Just a sign.”

 

Lena laughed triumphantly. “Don’t hurt yourself there, Sam.”

 

Just as soon as Lena finished her sentence, a flash of electricity cut across the night. It startled both of them and then the rumbled was followed with a few drops of rain. “Yes!” Sam shouted with joy.

 

“I don’t believe this,” Lena muttered as the rain quickly became heavier. “This is a big coincidence!”

 

Sam was so busy being happy that the universe was actually responding to her to be bothered by the fact that she was standing under the pouring rain, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “You are busted!”

 

Lena rolled her eyes to look away but she was also biting her lips to hide the smile. “This doesn’t mean anything.” She took off the jacket and hovered it above her head. “Come on, get in the shelter or you’ll get wet.”

 

Sam crouched down to fit with the space Lena had left it for her and gripped the jacket a little higher. They walked side by side under the rain, below the dampened jacket. Sam eventually took charge of the cover, and every time she inhaled, her nostrils took in a little scent of Lena’s shampoo. Her senses woke up at once, noticing how close they were together, and her heart rumbled with hope.

 

“Do you still think I’m not serious about this?” Sam asked as they approached the parking lot.

 

“I don’t know,” Lena admitted, “I was certain that you didn’t seem like the serious type, but I’m not sure right now.”

 

The rain still danced on their heads, and inside Sam’s heart. She had expected Lena to continue having a guard up with her, but she felt something had changed. She didn’t know it for sure, and she wanted to take a small leap to figure out.

 

“How about telling me if you enjoy being out with me tonight?” Sam prompted gently. “We can move on from there.”

 

Lena smiled, “I do.” Her eyes trailed at something on Sam’s face. “You’re not so bad.”

 

“Ouch. You thought I was bad?” Sam joked, bumping Lena gently, “So mean.”

 

“You were charming. Maybe too charming. That intimidated me.”

 

They reached the car, Sam opened the door for Lena and waited until she sat inside the car to close it and went around to get into the seat herself. The wet jacket was thrown in the back. Sam turned on the heater but not started driving yet.

 

“So… I was intimidating, huh?” she picked up the conversation, “Too charming, too. I sound like a lot to deal with.”

 

The other woman snickered, shaking her head. “No, not that. I was judgemental. It wasn’t nice. I’m sorry. At least, I get to know you now.”

 

The indication made Sam grin. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

 

Their eyes found each other. The rain was still hiding every scene outside with the curtain of water, and sitting inside the car should make things comfortable. Sam was a bit nervous. She didn’t know what Lena would say, but the moment struck her as an intimate one, and she held her breath.

 

Green eyes fluttered, focusing on below Sam’s eyes and darting back up. “That’s really good,” Lena whispered, licking her lips.

 

Shaking a little in her last inhale, Sam leaned toward Lena, tilting her head. Lena’s lips met hers halfway, melting in the first touch. Her chest wanted to burst out in joy. A kiss with Lena felt much better than a thousand from other women. The floating sensation in her lungs made her gasp, and Sam should be embarrassed because it seemed like she was chasing after Lena, but she didn’t care.

 

Sam was kissing Lena. And Lena was reciprocating wholeheartedly. She even felt a smile against her lips, and she smiled as well.

 

Eventually, Sam had to loosen the kiss and pulled back, despite her own urge to deepen it and take it home. She would not mess this up. Not this time. “That was good, too, I hope?”

 

Lena hummed. The slight smudged red lipstick looked absolutely alluring on her. “Not bad,” Lena smirked.

 

“ _ Not bad? _ ” Sam gasped, jaw dropped. After a few seconds, she chuckled. “Let’s do it again. I can do it better.”

 

“Are you tricking me into kissing you again?” Lena narrowed her eyes, but the cheeks stayed pink.

 

“I’m not tricking you. I’m challenging you,” Sam lifted her chin, giving out the most confident face possible. “I dare you to kiss me again.”

 

Lena leaned forward a little, asking with the provoked gleam in her eyes. “And why should I do that?”

 

“Because I can show you that kissing me isn’t just  _ not bad _ .” Sam wiggled one eyebrow, adding a little humor to the situation. To be honest, she just wanted to grab Lena’s face and continue kissing her, but she wanted to be patient. Lena was worth it.

 

“Maybe you can show me next time.”

 

It took Sam a few moments to fully understand what Lena meant by that, when she did, a shit-eating grin split on her face. Lena caught the reaction and swiftly tilted her head away, adding, “You look ridiculous.”

 

“You still asked me out,” Sam teased, pushing slightly the smiling girl’s shoulder, “So I’m not  _ that _ ridiculous, aren’t I?”

 

The black-haired girl laughed, shaking her head. “Shut up and drive, Sam.”

 

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am!” Sam saluted with glee, turning on the engine and driving away from the parking lot.

 

When Sam dropped Lena at the door to the apartment building that night, she received a quick peck on the cheek that burned beautifully like fireworks all the way home and even in her dream.

  
  
  


__________________

  
  
  
  


“I went on a date,” Sam said quickly before sipping the tea to answer Alex’s question about her constant smiling. Her friend’s brows raised to the hairline as an expected reaction.

 

“A date? Now you have to take them out on dates, too?” Alex made a face.

 

“Not with them. With Lena.”

 

Her friend frowned in thinking for a moment before gasping with delight in her eyes. “Shut up! Lena?  _ The _ Lena? Didn’t you tell me she wanted nothing to do with you?”

 

Sam smirked triumphantly, leaning back in the chair. “She changed her mind.”

 

“How?” Alex narrowed her eyes.

 

“You have an exceptionally persuasive friend.” Sam’s cryptic answer received a major eye roll from Alex. “And it was a great night.”

 

“No wonder you look like you’ve won the lottery,” Alex said with mirth. “So, how was it?”

 

Sam twisted her mouth. “I just told you it was a great night.”

 

“I mean after the date.”

 

It didn’t take Sam long to understand what Alex was asking and she felt blood rush to her face, burning up her skin. It wasn’t the first time Alex had asked her about the result of a date but it was the first time Sam felt self-conscious about it. Her mouth suddenly had trouble making words. “Well… I didn’t- we didn’t. It was not  _ that _ .”

 

The grin on Alex’s face froze for a moment before splitting wider. “Holy shit, you are getting shy talking about this. And you didn’t even have sex. I don’t think I have seen you being shy since… tenth grade!” Her friend nearly jumped off the chair. “Lena really is something, huh?”

 

Sam played down her thrill but couldn’t help smiling. “She is. I will take this slow and do it right. I have failed so many times before, you know.”

 

“The Charm…” Alex trailed off insightfully.

 

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not real.” Sam put money on the table and stood up. “I gotta go back to the office now. See you later.” She hurriedly rushed out of the coffee shop, waving over her shoulder at Alex, who only sighed out in content that at least Sam was happy again. Alex had seen her brilliant friend drowning in a wordless sorrow for months and nothing helped, even gorgeous women.

 

Alex began to believe that perhaps Lena was  _ The One _ whom Sam had been trying to find. Personally, she still didn’t believe in that concept, but as long as Sam was smiling like a kid on Christmas morning, who Alex was to not root for that?

  
  
  
  


____________________________________

  
  
  
  
  


_ Ding. _

 

The elevator doors opened, revealing a smirking Samantha Arias. She walked straight into the hall with her head held high and chin up. The people gave her good morning greetings, and some even said to her that she looked really good today.

 

Sam felt good, too.

 

Last night, she had stayed up until 1 a.m to text Lena after their third date. Lena was quite happy with the fact that she had won Sam at the bowling game, and she had explained that she rarely won any game so it had given her a memorable day. The kiss they had right before Lena opening the door to her apartment building was the memorable thing to Sam.

 

She remembered how Lena had pulled her in closer and deepened the kiss. It happened only for a short moment, but Sam was thrilled regardless. She loved how naturally they fit into each other’s arms as if there had always been a void in her that only Lena could fill with just her mere presence. Sam didn’t know if Lena felt the same, but it was a risk she was willing to take.

 

“Good morning, Doctor.” Gina greeted her from behind the desk. Sam gave the assistant a quick nod before approaching and asked about the general view of the day’s work. “There’s no regular. Only new patients.”

 

Sam knew what Gina meant by  _ new patients _ and she avoided the knowing look from her. Gina had also asked for Sam’s “help” in finding a soulmate and after that heated encounter in the office bathroom, she hadn’t heard Gina talk about a date.

 

“Gina, I have a question,” Sam prompted, licking her lips as she crouched down closer so others wouldn’t overhear them. “A personal one.”

 

Gina’s blue eyes expanded for a moment and then her mouth formed an ‘oh’. “Are you asking me about…?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’ve been going to a dating arrangement. There are a lot of women there. I think they would definitely give the Charm a chance,” Gina said with a smirk.

 

Sam pulled back, blushing. “No, no, no. Not that. I’m- I’m not doing  _ that _ anymore.”

 

“Then what are you asking me?”

 

In the corner of Sam’s eyes, she caught a flirty wave from a strange woman sitting inside the waiting room and gulped. She mumbled  _ nothing _ and proceeded to walk to the office. The women were all beautiful, sexy even, and Sam knew what was on their minds. She had been using the office as a shagging place for months and now she did dentist work less than before she had opened the place.

 

The disappointment on the women’s face when Sam refused to deliver the  _ service _ was expected, and she had done everything a dentist should be doing: checking their teeth. Some of them even tried to kiss her but she put on a face mask and pretended to cough a few times. It worked instantly and marvelously.

 

Still, they kept coming.

 

After the fifth date, sixth date, and seventh date with Lena, Sam realized she couldn’t turn down every single woman who called her or approached her in the office. She couldn’t refuse to take their appointments, and she didn’t have the heart to tell them that the only hope for their soulmate quest had already fallen in love with someone.

 

Even if she told that it didn’t stop them. Believe her, she tried.

 

Sam began to feel scared of the power of rumors. One of the women had slipped out that among them, another rumor had been born. Since Sam didn’t sleep with everyone like before, whoever got to do that would have all of the power.

 

While fixing the faucet in her office, a tube ring fell off and when Sam picked it up, the shiny round gave her an idea. She placed it on the ring finger and it fit. Smirking, she stepped out of the office and waved to everyone in the waiting room. All of the women seemed to get the idea, frowning at the (fake) ring on her hand and picking their purses up to leave. The tactic seemed to do its job beautifully because only after a week, Sam only saw elders and children in the waiting room. Just like how it usually was.

 

_ You could have redirected them to my office, you know _ . Alex had complained so but Sam only laughed it off. She thought the universe had been trolling both of them because Alex should have been the person with The Charm. Her friend would appreciate the rumor much better.

  
  
  
  


___________________________________

  
  
  
  


“What was your best childhood memory?”

 

Sam paused chewing the bread, looking at Lena sitting next to her who had finished the lunch already. The cafeteria of the shelter was a bit quiet today due to the lack of participants but it didn’t make the volunteer work any harder. Instead, both Sam and Lena had a whole section of dogs to give a bath too. In the end, they were drenched in soap among twenty dogs running around, laughing like two idiots. Lena had grabbed a handful of soap and splashed at Sam. She didn’t let Lena get away with it, though. The dog-sitter had been pulled back into the bathtub, laughing non-stop.

 

The shelter was kind enough to let them borrow some dry clothes while they had their clothes washed and hung dry. Sam had to admit seeing Lena in an oversized pullover with a dog paw right on the chest was such a memorable thing. Lena was much shorter than Sam, and the way she nearly drowned in the shirt made Sam want to pull her into a tight hug and never let go.

 

“My family used to come to my aunt’s house near The Dancing Brook lake every summer to relax, go fishing, paddle, and make a campfire,” Sam started, putting down the bottle of water in her hand. “I always have no worries everytime I sit by the lake and listen to the wind. My cousins would be playing far away while my parents, aunt, and uncle are preparing the food. I love those still moments.”

 

Lena beamed at her. “That sounds really nice.”

 

“How about you? What was your best childhood memory?” she asked Lena in return.

 

The brunette looked thoughtful for a moment and spoke with a sad smile, “The shopping trip I had with my mom when I was around seven years old. We walked all day, visiting every shop, eating ice cream. We didn’t buy anything, really, but to me, it was a successful day.” Lena pressed down a sigh but Sam could sense that there was something heavy behind the memory.

 

This was the first time Lena had ever told Sam about her family. They had started going out for over a month and Sam supposed it was not uncommon for each to start talking about what made them. Lena was comfortable all the time, but she rarely mentioned anyone from her family. Sam understood the struggle of family drama because she had one of her own, so she never pushed.

 

“That sounds really peaceful,” she commented, reaching out to squeeze Lena’s hand. The other woman met her eyes, her lips curving up to form a gentle smile.

 

“It was. When I want to relax, I go on shopping trips like that. I don’t buy anything, just wander around aimlessly until I get bored, get an ice cream, and go home.” The way Lena described it made Sam a bit of gloom. It struck her that Lena did this a lot, and probably not for relaxing but to be alone. “Just by myself.”

 

“You don’t like crowds?” Sam questioned softly.

 

“No,” Lena shook her head, then grinned, “Crowds of animals, yes.”

 

Sam narrowed her eyes playfully. “Is there a spot for a human?”

 

Lena matched her gesture, tilting her head. “It depends. Will they behave?”

 

“Like a good Homo sapien,” Sam crouched over so that their faces were close, “Emphasized on the ‘homo’.”

 

Lena snickered and leaned in to press her lips against Sam’s. Even with her eyes closed, Sam still felt the smile on her skin. The thud in her chest echoed slightly when she smiled back, and their kiss became a tad more eager.

 

Eventually, they both paused and pulled back. Sam giggled as she leaned against the backrest, one hand still around Lena’s fingers. Lena placed the other hand on Sam’s, rubbing gently. “I guess I can keep this one,” Lena joked, “if she stops letting me win in every bowling night.”

 

Sam pretended to be surprised. “I do  _ not _ let you win.”

 

“Please, I can tell you missed all of those shots on purpose,” Lena rolled her eyes, “I can handle failure.”

 

“We can play something else,” Sam suggested, “Something simple and hard to win even with practice. Like card games.”

 

“I’m quite experienced in card games,” Lena taunted, smirking.

 

“Miss Bad Luck has good luck in cards. You keep surprising me, Lena.” Sam tightened her hand around Lena’s. The warmth reminded Sam that this was real. Someone who made her happy just by their presence had shown up. Previous relationships passed by her mind, but none of them struck her with this much joy.

 

“It has nothing to do with luck, honestly,” Lena flipped a hand over and intertwined the fingers with Sam’s. “I just get used to losing.”

 

Something distant in Lena’s eyes told Sam that Lena wasn’t just talking about cards.

  
  
  


__________________

  
  
  
  


“I thought you were going to beat me at cards!” Sam cackled like a maniac, dropping left and right on the couch as she gripped the rest of her card set. “You are truly Miss Bad Luck!”

 

It took Sam a few moments to sit back straight and meet with a sulking Lena on the other end of the couch. They were in Lena’s living room for the past hour playing poker and even though Sam was expecting Strip Poker, Stare Poker was fun, too.

 

“I did not wink. You made me laugh!” Lena gathered the cards, then throwing them at Sam. The deck spiraled in the air around Sam, spinning like flowers. “You cheated.”

 

Sam laughed at the accusation. “You can’t call me a cheater every time you lose, Lena.”

 

“I can, because you did cheat,” Lena stuck out her tongue jokingly.

 

“Since when is telling jokes against the rule?” Sam shuffled closer to Lena on the cards to press a kiss on the girl’s cheek. “What are you gonna do about it?”

 

Lena kissed her back, one hand latching lazily on Sam’s shoulder. “I’m going to…” Lena whispered at the corner of Sam’s mouth, “...break the rules, too.” Came an open-mouth kiss. And Sam got pushed gently to her back. Then the hem of her shirt got pulled out as her fingers unzipped the dressed above her.

 

Everything got heated quickly and soon enough Sam’s shirt came off, Lena was reaching for the knot at her belt to undo it. The pace of their kiss began to be sloppy, but more and more desperate. Hands began to search, tongues twisted, encouraging hums echoed in the air.

 

“Are you sure?” Sam asked when Lena pulled back to settle between her legs. Warm hands trailed provocatively on Sam’s bare stomach, burning up the ache right in between her thighs. “What if your roommate comes back?” Sam asked so but she hoped to  _ God _ Lena’s roomie wouldn’t just burst through the door like the last time she was there. Sam was actually about to leave that night but the way Lena’s roommate winked at Sam before the door closed alerted that she knew something.

 

Lena smirked, humming, “Lucy isn’t in town until next Sunday. We have the apartment all to ourselves.”

 

Sam had been debating on whether or not should they take this new level at her own home, but frankly, she was so horny to care. “Good,” she said, pulling the sleeves down from Lena’s shoulders. “I’ve been waiting.”

 

After the honest confession, Lena laughed, crouching down to kiss Sam again. It was strange. Usually, Sam would be the one on top of a woman, having her way with her. All of those women who came to her for Charm Sex, they never got engaged enough in the act that sometimes Sam had to ask if it was okay for her to do this and that.

 

Lena pulled her up off the couch, their lips never disconnected. Sam half wanted to slow things down to savor the moment but at the same time she just wanted to raw Lena right there and then because she was starving of the lovely woman in front of her. Her hands held Lena’s hips tightly to her front, letting Lena do the stripping. They giggled when Sam’s head hit the tall lamp in the corner, knocking it over.

 

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Sam reached her foot out to hook it up but Lena pulled her back.

 

“Just leave it,” Lena instructed, hooking one finger under the waistband of Sam’s jeans. That was enough for Sam to forget about the broken lamp and return to the plump lips waiting for her.

 

A familiar ringtone rang from Sam’s pocket. She hissed a curse as Lena shoved her hand into the pocket and fished out the device. “Just a minute,” Sam excused when she saw  _ Work _ on the screen. This number was only used for urgent needs. “Doctor Arias.”

 

_ “Sam, it’s me.” _ It was Alex, panting as she had just gone running.

 

_ Fuck _ . Sam cleared her throat, pretending to reply in the serious voice “Is this an-?” She felt Lena’s hands sliding around her, going down under the bra and squeezing slightly her hard nipples. Sam bit back a moan. “-emergency?”

 

_ “Bitch, you’d wanna hear this.” _

 

Lena had already unbuckled her belt. “Well, I’m rather  _ busy _ right now.” Sam gasped when Lena yanked the belt off from the loops just by one pull of her arm, successfully turning Sam around to face her. “Good night!” Sam shouted on the phone.

 

The sound of the belt thrown on the floor must have alerted Alex of what was going on.  _ “Wow, wow, wow. Did you bone her yet?” _

 

_ I’m about to, dammit Alex. _ Sam looked down when Lena got to her knees, continued zipping Sam’s pants while her bright green eyes glued up at her. The view was spectacular and instantly dried Sam’s mouth. “Look, unless this is an emergency, call my office.” Lena slowly got up, trailing kissed along Sam’s stomach, then between her breasts and up to her collarbone. “In the morning,” Sam gritted.

 

_ “Fine. You wanna lose her forever, you hang up the phone right now.” _ The way Alex said it made Sam freeze. This kind of confidence hadn’t been seen since the moment Alex came out to her as gay.

 

Sam took a deep breath, trying to ignore how Lena’s breathing was sending goosebumps all over her. The black-haired woman nipped at her earlobe for a moment and then whispered something that nearly made Sam faint.

 

“I can’t wait to scream your name tonight.”

 

_ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.  _

 

_ “Sammy, you there?” _

 

Sam couldn’t find the words to reply, just stared at Lena with an open mouth like an idiot. Lena let the dress pooled around her legs, walking slowly to the open bedroom door. The knowing smirk shone on her face as she took off the bra but didn’t let it drop right before she disappeared behind the door frame. Lena’s pale arm appeared again, the bra dangled around her fingers, then gave in to gravity as she dropped it.

 

Sam gripped on a tall counter nearby, not being able to keep her eyes away from the half-naked girl climbing on the bed at the end of the hall. “What are you talking about?”

 

_ “The Charm thing. It turns out to be real!” _

 

“No. No, no, no, no!” Sam cursed, shaking her head in denial. “That’s not true because you told me it was a rumor. You said that.” Sam bit her lip, blood rushing hot under her skin when she saw Lena combed her ruffled hair with fingers.  _ God, I love those fingers. _

 

_ “Now I believe. I started calling all of your exes. They’re married. Not just a few, but all of them!” _

 

“Uh huh...” Sam mindlessly responded, licking her lips.

 

_ “Cindy Seymour, Aubrey Winston, Abigail Dune… every girl you have called off the deal with! And did you see this month’s high school newsletter? Sandra Campbell!” _

 

The name took Sam out of the horny daze for a moment. “The girl I lost my virginity to?”

 

_ “Do you know with whom she’s married? Laurel Reed. The bitch she dumped you for!” _

 

The wound created long ago still threw a jab at Sam’s heart. She had been blindly in love with Sandra and then got a cold-hearted breaking up. Sam had been scarred. It stunned her for a moment, but then she looked up and saw Lena. Smiling, inviting, already on the bed Lena Luthor.

 

_ “You know what this means, don’t you? If you shake the sheets with Lena, she’s gonna marry the next girl she dates!” _

 

The threat echoed in Sam’s ears, kicking her stubborn belief that the rumor was that, a rumor. Sam had been clinging onto this because she didn’t want to put her faith on something unproven.

 

_ But what if it’s true? _

 

Sam hissed back and forth, her feet couldn’t stay still. “I hate you. I  _ really _ hate you!” she screamed in a whisper, then hanging up the phone.

 

At the end of the hall, where the bedroom door was always open, Lena flipped the blanket to reveal a spot for Sam and called her in with the wiggling finger.

 

_ This is what I’ve been dreaming of. Oh my god, she’s naked. Holy fuck! Fuck you, Alex! _

 

It pained her to say, but she had to do it. “I-I gotta go…” she stepped back, gulping down the guilt inside when the smile faltered on Lena’s face. Sam tapped on the phone, trying to be persuasive. “D-Dental emergency. Life and death situation.”

 

Quickly picking up the scattered clothes, Sam tried to remain eye contact with Lena as much as possible, knowing she wouldn’t get this view again soon. The surprised girl mouthed  _ what _ when Sam baffled another lame excuse. “Children. They thought they were gumballs.” She pretended to act like she was there to witness whatevercrap emergency that seemed real. Snatching up the belt, the shoes, Sam swirled round and round, buying more time to not make Lena feel humiliated. “Just… glass balls. Really, really good smell glass balls. Fucked up their teeth. Did I say they were children?”

 

Sam approached the door, eyes still glued at Lena’s dropped mouth. “YoulookgreatIhadagreattimeI’llcallyoubye.” Opening the door, she bent backward to steal the last glimpse of the goodness right in front of her but she couldn’t have, letting out a yelp of regret and rushed out of the apartment.

 

_ I’m fucked. _

 

_ I’m really really fucked. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope there is a gay version for this movie. Reviews, please!


	5. Mission Impossible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Sam will have to try and break the charm. How would she do that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeeey yall, it's been a really long time eh? I have no excuses but telling you that I had a little cute distraction.
> 
> Enjoy the update :)

“I can’t believe you’re considering  _ doing _ this.”

 

Sam took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. She was now sitting in Alex’s car that parked in front of a large house, hands balling in a fist. Her eyes bored straight at the large gates with the giant lion heads on them. The quivering lips reminded her of why she was here in the first place.

 

“If you believe it, everyone else believes it,” Sam spoke, as firm as a pole, “what else can I do?” The desperation was clear in her voice, and Sam didn’t have the heart to hide it. She needed to do something about the  _ curse _ she was having.

 

“Anything but this!” Alex gestured the house, panicked.

 

“I have to be sure. I gotta put the curse to the test.” Sam got out of the car, followed by a frowning Alex. “Are you going to be cool with this?” They walked to the gates and Sam held one finger on the bell.

 

Alex rolled her eyes. “I’m only worried about you. This  _ method _ is kinda risky and to be honest, fucking weird. We can come up with something less inappropriate.”

 

“I have to try,” Sam said and pressed the bell.

 

Soon enough, they were sitting in a large living room on a beautiful velvet couch. Across the flawlessly crafted tea table was another velvet couch. A woman was sitting on it, narrowing her eyes at Sam with a smirk on her face.

 

“Samantha,” she spoke, turning the ring on her finger. “Long time no see.”

 

“Vicky,” Sam replied nonchalantly, darting a look at Alex next to her. “You look great.”

 

Vicky Perry, or more exactly Vicky Donahue-Perry, shrugged and greeted Alex with a softer voice. “Alexandra.”

 

“It’s Alex. You know I hate being called by my full name.” Sam knew Alex was trying really hard to be here, face to face with Vicky, her once-upon-a-time biggest crush. They had a rather complicated history together and their break-up was one heck of a bomb. They used to be all in the same group of friends but then the complication between Alex and Vicky tore the group into two parts. Sam always chose Alex and others stuck to Vicky’s side. They all drifted away. Until now.

 

Vicky didn’t seem offended by the way Alex snapped back. “I know what you hate, and I also know what you love.”

 

“Let’s go straight into the business,” Sam cut in, not wanting to be in a war between two ex-lovers. “You’ve heard about the Ring Charmer rumor, right, Vicky?”

 

“Of course, I have. Words travel fast, especially with the way you’ve been granting the charm around, Sammy.” Vicky winked at Sam, making her blush. Sam never had a crush on Vicky, but the former friend had always had an alluring vibe around her, pulling everyone in. “And I take that you got my voicemail.”

 

Sam gulped. Among those women who sent sexy emails to her, she hadn’t expected to find a familiar name among it. Vicky didn’t say things like other women, but she asked Sam a favor. Sam never returned the message because she could never do such a thing.

 

“You’re married,” Sam carefully noted.

 

“Separated,” Vicky corrected, still turning the ring around her finger. “Hugh and I will finish our divorce paper in two weeks.”

 

“Why did you send Sam the voicemail months ago? Did you get bored of him as you did of me?” Alex grunted, unhappy.

 

The taunting smile on Vicky’s face faltered. “No. He cheated on me.”

 

The atmosphere dropped. Sam sighed and asked, “Cheating on him back isn’t the way, you know.”

 

“I know. I was so mad. I’m glad you didn’t answer my message, or else it would have been a bigger mess.” Vicky smiled faintly. “But now you do. Can I ask why?”

 

Sam scratched her head and then told Vicky the general situation. The former friend listened with patient ears and smiled every time Alex added a comment or two.

 

“...so I was thinking about breaking the spell.”

 

Everyone stayed silent after Sam had finished the story. Vicky’s mouth twisted to a side in amusement.

 

“Do you think the charm wouldn’t work on an already married woman?”

 

The question really struck on Sam’s moral code. She was so desperate that she didn’t know what to do. The (apparent) solution came from Alex’s joke but Sam decided to follow through. There was no other way in her eyes. Sam was about to back out but then Alex told her about the rumor that Vicky and Hugh were getting divorced, and she thought she could try out.

 

“I don’t know, really.” Sam stood up, embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have done this. I shouldn’t come here and ask for this. This is so wrong.” Alex followed her lead.

 

“Wait.” Vicky ran after them. “I don’t judge you, Sam. I know what it’s like to be afraid of losing someone you love. And you don’t want to lose this girl, right?”

 

Sam sighed heavily. “No. No, I don’t. And before I can devote my entire life for her, I have to get rid of this curse. But I won’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable.” She turned to a frowning Alex. “Or you.”

 

The ex-lovers slash friends in front of Sam shared a look and Vicky nodded. “Okay. No hard feelings, Alex?”

 

Alex gave both of them a big roll of her eyes. “No hard feelings.”

 

“Okay, so here’s what I think that would work…”

  
  
  
  


______________________________________

  
  
  
  
  


Sam returned home, nervous.

 

She walked right into the shower because even though there was no romance, no need, not even passion in the sex she had with Vicky, she still felt like shit. They even talked during the actual fucking. Vicky asked a lot about Alex and Sam’s dentist office, keeping them away from the real deed happening at their hips. Sam was really grateful for that. She owed Vicky one.

 

She owed Alex even more.

 

Alex had agreed to go out with Vicky a few days later to test on the charm. Vicky and Alex had a bad history between them, there would be absolutely  _ no _ way Alex would marry Vicky. It was a lot to ask from Alex and Sam really didn’t want her best friend to risk having another broken heart, but Alex had suggested it.

 

_ “I pulled you into this rumor shit, I have to get you out.” _

 

Sam couldn’t sleep that night, thinking what if the charm was too powerful. What if even an already married woman wouldn’t be able to escape this fucking curse? What if fate really hated her that much, giving her Lena and then mercilessly taking her away forever? What if she had to come to another ex’s wedding? She had never minded it before, but she wouldn’t be able to handle seeing Lena settling down with another woman.

 

This was her final solution.

 

Now she had no other choice but wait.

  
  
  
  


_______________________________________

  
  
  
  
  


“Did she call you yet?” Lena’s hand froze with the glass of wine in the air. She pressed down another frown and shook her head. Lucy wrapped one arm around her shoulders, nudging her slightly. “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” Lena muttered dismissively, “It’s nothing new anyway. I put myself out there and what happened. I got left hanging. Again. God, I feel so stupid!” She chugged the wine down and immediately poured another glass.

 

“No, you’re not stupid,” Lucy stopped her before the wine almost filled the glass.

 

“I am! Why did I even act like that?” Lena covered her face with both hands after Lucy had taken the wine away. Her frustrated voice softened. “Why didn’t she call? I don’t know what I did wrong. Did I come on too strong? Or did she see something she doesn’t like?”

 

“Hey, hey, hey. There is absolutely nothing not to like about you, Lena.” Lucy pulled her closer and rubbed her back gently. “If Sam can’t see that, then it’s her loss.”

 

“She practically ran away from me, Luce. It’s like she’s disgusted by me.”

 

“Shut up. I’m sure there is a reason for it. Didn’t she tell you there was an emergency?”

 

“She did. Maybe it’s like  _ ‘my dog ate my homework’ _ kind of excuse,” Lena groaned, “All of this waiting is driving me crazy.”

 

“ _ ‘When love is not madness, it is not love’ _ .”

 

Lena gave her friend a look. “Huh?”

 

“Pedro Calderon de la Barca,” Lucy shrugged, “I always wanted to be that person who recites wise quotes as advice.”

 

Lena chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Well, what are  _ you _ trying to say?”

 

“I’m saying that you should not jump to the worst scenario just yet.”

 

“Yet? The first woman I went out with after Helena left me naked in bed. She hasn’t called. And now you’re going to move out,” Lena whined, frowning. “I’m really happy for you and Zoe but staying here alone really isn’t what I need right now.”

 

Lucy made an ‘aw’ sound, hugging Lena. “I’m still staying with you until the end of the week. My shoulders are here for you to cry on.”

 

“I’m not gonna cry,” Lena rolled her eyes.

 

Lucy made a teasing face, “You and Sam were at the Bed Stage already, huh?”

 

Lena bumped her shoulder with Lucy, scolding, “Shut up. It was only me at the Bed Stage. She canceled that upgraded anyway.” She leaned against the backrest, sighing. “Why did I start dating again?”

 

“Because you like her.”

 

Lena’s head popped up. “ _ Liked. _ She obviously doesn’t want to see me again so I should move on.”

 

Before Lucy responded with anything, Lena’s phone vibrated on the table. She quickly snatched it before Lucy even reached out and couldn’t help a grin when the name displayed on the screen was  _ Sam _ . Her thumb quickly pressed on the answer button, but then she didn’t slide it across the screen to actually accept the call.

 

“Why don’t you take it?” Lucy crouched over, curious. “Aren’t you waiting for her call?”

 

Lena lifted her chin. “I’m not gonna take it. Nope. I’m going to let it ring.”

 

Lucy chuckled, shaking her head. “Look at your happy face. You  _ like _ her.”

 

“Didn’t you hear? I’m going to let it ring!” Lena wiggled the vibrating phone in the air. “I don’t like her. Not that much.”

 

The call stopped. Lena looked at the screen to find that she had missed a call from Sam. Then a text message came. Lena could read it without actually letting Sam know that she did.

 

_ ‘Hey, Lena, I’m so sorry I couldn’t call you earlier. I got a really bad cold and couldn’t even move. I can’t meet you yet because you know, hygienes. But please, I’m not ghosting you, I promise. Text me back as soon as you read, okay?’ _

 

Lena bit her lip so her cheeks wouldn’t be too sore from the smiling. Her eyes traced back and forth on the lock screen to read the text again. Then she double-tapped it to keep the screen active.

 

“Well, well, well…” Lena heard Lucy and looked to the side. Her soon-to-be ex-roomie arched an eyebrow, matching with a side of her mouth. “I thought you didn’t like her that much.”

 

Lena’s thumbs were already typing the password to unlock the phone as she answered, “Just a little.”

 

Even though Lucy didn’t seem convinced at all, Lena didn’t really pay much attention to her friend’s smirk and only focused on typing a message to reply to Sam.

  
  
  
  


______________________________________

  
  
  
  
  


It had been going on for a week. Sam knew her little play of being sick wouldn’t be a long run but her sanity would be saved because she didn’t have to be around Lena. Lords knew what she would do if Lena touched her again. Sam couldn’t risk messing with the charm and had to distance herself from Lena for the time being until she was certain that the charm didn’t work anymore.

 

Instead of meeting, Sam and Lena called each other whenever they could. If it was a video call, Sam would put some efforts into making her look a bit sick with messy hair and occasional coughs. They spoke through the nights, texted through the day. Sam couldn’t get enough of Lena’s voice. The low and warm tone caressed her from head to toes, carrying her into sleep easily.

 

Sam went to bed alone, but she didn’t feel lonely anymore.

 

_ “How are you feeling?” _

 

Sam heard the question on the phone and froze for a moment before answering, “A little better.” She was in the bathtub as a deal with Lena because the dog-sitter was also in a bathtub on the other side.

 

_ “Are you sure? You’ve been sick for a week,” _ Lena sounded a bit worried.

 

“Yes! I’m sure. I can feel myself getting better and better every second.” Sam put the speaker on and moved to Alex’s number to text her friend. She didn’t want to push Alex on the dating-ex-girlfriend-to-test-on-the-curse but she had been waiting for a whole week. Now she needed answers. “Don’t worry.”

 

_ “How could I not? I wanted to come over to check up but you didn’t let me. How bad could it be?” _

 

Sam smirked, “Well, for starters, I might kiss you and infect you with it.”

 

Lena laughed on the other side.  _ “What makes you think I’d kiss you?” _

 

“Who wouldn’t kiss me?” Sam teased, “I’m kissable!”

 

_ “Is it because of the sickness or are you just naturally cocky?” _

 

“Both. What? Can’t handle this?” Sam snickered, flicking away a huge bubble in the tub with the other hand.

 

_ “Who said so? Maybe  _ **_you_ ** _ can’t handle me.” _ The teasing in Lena’s voice made Sam smile.  _ “I wasn’t the one who ran off.” _

 

“Ouch, okay.” Sam moved the phone to the other side. “You are going to regret that.”

 

_ “When?” _

 

Sam knew what Lena meant, and  _ gosh _ she wanted to know when she would be able to be with Lena, too. “When I’m better.”

 

_ “Well…” _ Sam felt the suggestive tone in that word and suddenly sat straighter in the tub.  _ “We can do something before you’re better enough, can’t we? Something to encourage your recovery?” _

 

Sam eagerly answered, “What do you have in mind?”

 

Lena didn’t answer immediately. At least not with words. She hummed into the phone.  _ “Mhmm…” _ The sound was…

 

... _ erotic _ .

 

Sam’s jaw dropped a little. She picked it up and carefully responded, “Lena?”

 

_ “...mhm… yes…” _ Goosebumps ran across Sam’s skin as the blood pumped hotly under it.  _ “...right there…” _

 

In a moment of both confusional, arousal and surprise, Sam blurted out, “What are you doing?”

 

The moaning stopped immediately. It ended so quickly that Sam realized she had just kicked away a golden opportunity to have phone sex with Lena down the drains.  _ “You didn’t get it?” _ Lena sounded sulking.

 

Sam bit her lip, mentally cursing herself. “I’m sorry. I get it now. You can continue.”

 

_ “I can’t just  _ continue _.” _ Sam sensed an eye roll.  _ “But luckily I’m still in the mood.” _

 

The information made Sam nearly stand up from the bathtub. “Oh?” She heard a few sounds, then the notification echoed in the air.

 

_ “I sent it.” _ Lena’s voice came right after, sounding mysteriously sexy.

 

Sam pulled the phone away and tapped on the file that Lena just sent. The image didn’t strike her as anything at first, then she tilted the screen to the horizontal side and the air caught in her throat.

 

It was Lena, sitting in the bathtub, one hand on her chest, the other stretch toward the edge of the pic because she must be holding the phone. Her other hand didn’t exactly cover her entire chest so Sam’s eyes glued intentionally at the dark pink nipple barely hidden in the shadow of Lena’s wrist. The picture didn’t show Lena’s entire face, only her lips, which were curling up in a devilish smirk. Lena must know exactly the kind of impact this picture would have on Sam, judging by that plump curve. And she was right.

 

Sam slipped into the water and let out a scream, muffled by the water and the floating sensation of being personally attacked. When she emerged from the water, Sam raised the phone to her ear and spoke through the water curtain dripping from her forehead, hair, and eyelashes.

 

“Thanks. I got it.”

 

_ “Have a great night.” _ Lena hung up.

 

Sam furiously tapped back on the picture and bit into her fist. Her heart stamped like a running elephant against her chest as her eyes trailed along the glistening skin that Lena let her see.

 

_ Holy mother... _

 

Another embarrassing whine flew out of her mouth when she frantically swiped left and right, tapping back to the contacts and finding Alex’s number.

 

“Alex, tell me!” Sam didn’t even greet her friend and at the moment, she didn’t even think about anything but the fact that there was a  _ pulse _ in her that needed to be taken care of.

 

_ “Relax, geez.” _ There was music on Alex’s side. It seemed like she was in a bar.  _ “I couldn’t even have a break after a day with my ex?” _

 

Sam took a deep breath. “Okay. Sorry. Well?”

 

_ “The deed is done. I went out with Vicky. I’m not gonna propose to her. You’re in the clear.” _

 

Sam didn’t have the phone with her when she sprinted out of the tub. She didn’t even notice that she dropped the device as she grabbed the towel, drying herself quickly and somehow managing to put on some clothes.

 

When Sam got on her car, the speaker on her phone still echoed with Alex’s voice from the bathroom floor.

 

_ “Hello? Sam, are you there?” _

  
  
  


__________________

  
  
  
  


The door to Lena’s apartment opened to reveal the surprised brunette, whose hair was still dampened. Her bright green eyes glued at Sam, probably because she was panting from all of the runnings up the stairs.

 

“Sam?” Lena gasped lightly, eyes going up and down on the dentist in front of her. A surprised but knowing smile spread on her lips.

 

“I feel better,” Sam announced shortly, and with the way Lena nipped her lower lip, she pushed her way right into the loop of Lena’s arms.

 

She didn’t even know if the door was closed or not but they kissed their way into the living room so Sam’s mind no longer found a place for anything but the warm lips attached to hers. Lena smelled so fresh, so clean, and even if her hair was not yet dry, Sam still combed fingers into it to have a steady grip. Her other hand had already found its place on Lena’s hips, bumping their bodies together as they stumbled on each other across the furniture. Lena pushed Sam backward and her legs hit the couch.

 

Sam laughed out loud when she pulled Lena down with her, conveniently knocking off the bowl of popcorn on the table. Lena’s laugh echoed in the crook of Sam’s neck before she rolled around and brought both of them up. Their legs kept tangling and untangling for a few minutes from the living room to the beginning of the hallway.

 

The stomping sounds echoed among the pants from both women, waving in the air like the rolling heat pouring down between the bodies. Sam yanked Lena’s shirt away from the waistband grip while Lena’s hands roamed on the valley of Sam’s back, bare and heated. A moan slipped out of Sam’s throat when Lena managed to push her against the wall and hit somewhere at her aching spot. Somewhere in her blurry vision, Sam caught a smirk from Lena.

 

When Lena finally got rid of Sam’s shirt, both of them were already in the bedroom. Hectic hands around Sam’s hips paused suddenly.

 

“Would it be terrible if you have an emergency again now?” Lena asked with the tease in her eyes.

 

Sam fished out the phone from her pocket and checked the screen, then made a face. “Ah… I do have an emergency.”

 

The smile on Lena’s face fell almost instantly. She stepped back, away from Sam’s embrace. “Oh, then you should go take care of it.”

 

Sam grinned widely, grabbing Lena’s hands before they slipped off her arms. “I  _ am _ taking care of it. My emergency involves you, me-” Her eyes cast down at Lena’s inviting lips. “-and maybe some unspeakable things.”

 

Lena caught the implication right away and her cheeks turned pink. Well,  _ pinker. _ Her eyes cast to the bed then back at Sam with a tint of naughty in them. “Unspeakable, huh?”

 

Sam giggled and kissed Lena, repeating the word in her breath as she let her hands go down and around Lena’s behind to lift the smaller woman up. Lena’s legs quickly fit around Sam’s hips.

 

When their bodies flushed against each other on the soft bed, Sam whispered kisses on Lena, toning down her own desire to have the woman her way and just savor the moment first. But that didn’t last for long because a desperate moan crawling into her ears and her rational thoughts got flushed down the drains.

 

Sam’s lungs felt like exploding any minute every time she touched Lena at where she was needed the most, or when Lena touched her the same. She was naked to Lena, not just her body but also her heart. She had no fear around Lena, no insecurities. The world seemed to stop when Lena came under her.

 

It was not sex. It was something else bigger.

 

And when Sam watched Lena close her eyes with a content smile hours later, she stayed up for a while just to gently rub Lena’s bareback, running her fingertips on the ivory skin. The night was still outside and quiet inside. The loudest thing she heard was her own heartbeat. It was steady, but with a new rhythm.

 

This was what she wanted. What she had been waiting for. Staying still next to a special woman whose smile could brighten her entire day up, exactly just like this. And she could see it: waking up with Lena, holding her hand in public, sitting next to each other while watching dogs playing in the park.  _ Their _ dogs. Together. Forever.

 

Sam laid her head down eventually, burying her nose in Lena’s spread out raven hair and whispered something she had never learned how much meaning it could bring.

 

“I love you.”

 

For the first time since forever, those words came out like a fact. And also for the first time, Sam had no urge to tell anyone that fact immediately, especially Lena. It had always been quick for her to fall for someone, so now she wanted to wait.

 

Sam would not mess anything up with Lena. Never.

  
  
  


___________________

  
  
  
  


Sam fell asleep after Lena, but she was the one who woke up before the sun even rose. The first thing she did was kissing Lena’s shoulder, then pulled back and just took in single deep breaths of reality.

 

They had just spent a night together.

 

Somewhere, in the deepest spot of her soul, a small fear of losing Lena began to form. She had gone through the same situation every time she slept with one of her exes in the past, and eventually, they left her. Time after time after, Sam slowly had lower faith and expectations, even though she stubbornly held onto the wish of finding The One, she was abandoned with the broken pieces of her own faith.

 

Now, she was bringing them back for another try. Lena was right next to her, breathing softly, being surreal like a dream. This beautiful woman was the perfection that Sam had been looking for, but was she the same to Lena? Was Lena searching for someone? Sam dearly hoped Lena did, or in a way, began to. Maybe she would find that someone in Sam.

 

Okay, bigger than maybe.

 

Sam had a certain faith this time. She had no idea why, but unlike the other times where she blindly imagined a future with whoever was on the bed with her, it was not it now. Her first thought was  _ I could see myself waking up next to her and only her _ . Sam didn’t know if it was her living the moment or not, but it felt right and she loved this.

 

She loved Lena.

 

She loved Lena, she was allowed to dream, right?

 

The other woman stirred in her sleep, rolling closer to Sam. Her arms spread out to hold the woman, comfortable and fit like a glove around that curve. Smirking to herself, she kissed Lena’s head, squeezing her arms. Lena stirred again with a smile.

 

“I can feel you staring.”

 

Sam let out a soft chuckle. “Can you blame me? You should have seen yourself sleeping.”

 

“How am I sleeping?”

 

“Gorgeously breathtaking,” Sam didn’t hold back her praise. Her lips found the corner of Lena’s, pecking kisses until the other woman giggled. “How the hell do you get even prettier in the morning?”

 

Lena blinked but her eyes didn’t open right away. “Good morning, Ass Kisser.”

 

“I did that yesterday, I can do it again right now,” Sam teased, one hand running down to Lena’s butt. Playfully giving it a squeeze, she whispered, “I hope you’d have a morning as nice as your ass.”

 

That got Lena laughing and Sam joined her too.

 

The morning had never felt better.

 

Later on, Sam left the bed first, with the promise of getting them both breakfast and coffee. It wasn’t the first time Sam did this at Lena’s, so she was already familiar with the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen in her underwear and T-shirt from yesterday, picking up her phone on the way out that somehow laid close to the door.

 

Sam leaned against the kitchen counter as she waited for the coffee, the phone was starting up right next to her. As soon as the home screen came up, a train of notifications echoed wildly from her phone. Sam clicked her tongue, look away from the screen and waited until the sound ended to check it. She assumed that she had one or two important emails, the rest might be from texts or social media.

 

She was right, but the one thing she didn’t expect was most of the texts and missed calls were from Vicky and Alex, mostly Alex. Everything they wrote was short and urgent, with the same content: getting in touch with them immediately.

 

Sam called Alex. After two rings, her best friend picked up and screamed,  _ “Why did you turn off your phone last night?” _

 

Wincing because of the sudden attitude, Sam rolled her eyes and answered, “Good morning to you too. I deserve a day off without the phone, okay?”

 

_ “Holy shit. You nailed Lena, right?” _

 

Sam smirked as soon as images and  _ some aches _ were recalled by Alex’s assumption. “Details later. Now I’m starving.”

 

_ “You’re fucked!” _

 

“A little blunt, but yes, I was fucked. More than once, thank you very much,” Sam laughed with joy just as when the machine poured the coffee out into two cups.

 

_ “I’m not talking about that. The Charm still works!” _

 

The smile froze on Sam’s face. She gasped in fear. “Fuck. Don’t tell me you proposed to Vicky! Is that why you two have been trying to reach me? To invite me to your wedding?” A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind, most was about her being able to turn a straight woman gay and that her best friend was getting married.

 

_ “No. I told you I would never pop Vicky the question. You remember Sean, right? Sean Dalton, Vicky’s ex who went to Europe. He came back and asked her out for a coffee. A coffee. Right before her date with me. Now they’re going to have a proper date.” _ A pause echoed scarily in the air.  _ “I’m so sorry, Sam.” _

 

The way Alex called her name got Sam out of the daze of too much information and she chuckled dryly. “I-It doesn’t mean anything, right? I mean, that doesn’t mean the charm works on her. They just had a coffee. And now just a date, Whatever, right?”

 

_ “I wish, Sammy. Vicky only talked about him in the date with me. I just called her last night to check but she didn’t answer. Then I got a text from her saying that she still loved Sean. And he still loved her too.” _

 

Sam heard her own heart shatter in the chest, The other hand reached up to her head, yanking a fist full of hair. “I’m going to lose Lena. No, no, no, no, no.”

 

Alex didn’t say anything on the other end. Perhaps, she was as clueless as Sam was right now.  _ I’m sorry _ was the thing she repeated over and over.

 

“I have to do something,” Sam said finally, standing up straighter, “I will not let the next one have Lena. I just have to make her fall for me before she-” Her words caught in the throat when her eyes trailed to Lena’s calendar hanging on the wall. There was a spot got circled on it, two days from now, written in red ink:  **_‘Selina - Cutie Pie’_ ** .

 

_ “Before she what?” _

 

“-meets someone else,” Sam continued in horror. “Oh no, she’s going on a date with someone on Tuesday.”

 

_ “How do you know that?” _

 

“I’ll see you at the office,” was the last thing Sam said before hanging up the phone.

 

The world collapsed around Sam. Her peaceful morning had been ruined completely because of her greatest fear. She felt tears threatening to fall but quickly wiped away. This was not the time to be sorry.

 

Sam had a mission, and two-or-less days to achieve it.

 

Her initial plan to make breakfast for Lena was just bacon and eggs, but now she needed to upgrade it.

 

How could she push up months or even years of dating into two days?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miss you guys.

**Author's Note:**

> This story might be slow in the update. Please inspire me with your comments, thank you!


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